A Surviving Hunter
by DianneRose2016
Summary: Full Summary Inside and Warnings. Shawn is back with his father for six months now, but his father has lost his job just months ago. Now Shawn is working to pay the bills, plus his school work and having to deal with his father drinking again. Turner is worried about Shawn and the level of exhaustion he is in, only for Shawn to come to school with a black eye.
1. Chapter 1

_**Summary: So this is set when Shawn is sixteen and he has been back living with his father for six months now. Shawn is having to balance his school life, which he is trying to improve his grades to get out of the trailer park. He is also trying to balance working and paying all of the bills as his father has gone back to drinking. Now Shawn has to go to school full-time and work three jobs just to make end's meat every month. On top of all of that he has to deal with his drunk father who occasionally likes to punch him when he is angry and drunk. Shawn is determined to graduate high school and Turner is going to make sure it happens for Shawn as he keeps a close eye on him.**_

 _ **Warnings: Mentions of past abuse, bad words and child abuse.**_

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Chapter 1

It had been six months since Shawn had started to live with his dad. He had spent a year living with Turner and when his father had finally came back Shawn didn't even think twice about leaving to go and live with him. They had reunited at a police station, but still they had reunited and left together as Father and Son. Six months since he had been back at the trailer park and Shawn couldn't help, but quickly notice how much he did not miss living here. The place was full of rundown trailers, drunks, drug users, criminals and gangs. It was not the nice place that he had at Turner's. The trailer was not the one they originally had as his father had gotten a new one that would be able to be hooked up to his truck. So they only had one bedroom that his father had taken over. So Shawn had been sleeping on the couch something that didn't bother him in the beginning, but after six months things were looking different. He had foolishly believed his father that he would be different and things would be right this time around. Everything had been different for three months. For three months they had talked and acted like father and son. For three months his father was sober and was even working. For three months they had been able to pay their rent and all of their other bills. For three months they had been a family and then it all started to go downhill.

Shawn knew that things could only be good for so long. His father had gotten laid off due to lack of work coming in. That made him upset and that lead to him drinking that night, causing him to pass out. Since then his father had been sitting on Welfare, but it wasn't enough to cover everything plus his now strong drinking habit again. Shawn had to go and get a job three months ago. He went back to Uncle Mike and was able to pick up a part-time job working on the cars. He had been working on cars since he was eight so he was very good at it and his Uncle Mike knew that his dad had lost his job and he needed the money. He had also been taking photographs and making sketches to sell on the street on the weekends. Sometimes he would get a photography job from customers. All of the money had helped him with paying the rent and bills as his father was using the Welfare money to drink away. When that ran out his father went to hustling the pool table.

In between it all Shawn had been trying to keep up in school. He wasn't a little kid anymore, he was sixteen and Shawn knew that he only had two more years left of school before he would be expected to graduate. He wanted to go to College, but he needed a scholarship to do it. If he wanted a scholarship he had to get his grades up as they looked back at three years of High School grades. The competition was intense and he would need really good grades and one hell of an essay about his life to standout enough. Shawn had only three months left of this school year to try and get his grades up. He currently had History, English, Photography and Social Studies. He was currently sitting pretty in his Photography course with a ninety-two percent. His English course he was sitting at about a seventy, which wasn't bad, but it wasn't good enough. His Social Studies course he was sitting at a sixty-two and his History course he was sitting at a pathetic fifty-three percent. He needed to work on his History and Social Studies courses to try and get them higher and he needed to really try on his English course. Turner was his English teacher and his Social Studies course. Mr. Feeney was his History teacher and he was hoping today he could speak to them both and see if he could get some kind of extra work to make up for the poor grades. He didn't know if they would go for it. He knew he would be able to convince Turner to let him have the chance, but he didn't know if Mr. Feeney would go for it.

Shawn was trying to get his grades up so he could have a chance at an Art scholarship to a College or a University. Shawn wanted out of this trailer park, he wanted out of this town and the chance to have something more. The only way he was going to be able to do that was by going to College and getting some kind of degree so he could take that to other cities and get a good job. Shawn wasn't that foolish little kid anymore. Even though he knew he could easily go back to living at Turner's he didn't want to just leave his father yet. His father needed him and he just couldn't bring himself to turn his back on him yet. He wasn't ready for that pain. The problem was he was getting tired. He was working so much to make end's meat that he wasn't getting enough sleep between working and school. He knew extra work for school was going to cut down even more what little time for sleep he had, but he had to try. He only had three more months before summer and then he could work full-time and save up as much money as he could for when he was back in school.

What Shawn refused to acknowledge was the fact that when his father got too drunk and angry at the world it was Shawn that was taking the hits. He had only happened five times in the past three months, it was nothing Shawn wasn't used to. It had happened in the past before when his mother would take off leaving Shawn alone with his father drunk and pissed. His father never hit him in his face, it was always his torso or his back. Something that Shawn could easily hide and he was thankful for that. Shawn knew it was wrong, but it was just so common in his life that Shawn didn't even think much of it. It was just the life that he was used to, but not the life he wanted. He wanted out of this place and he was going to get out if it was the last thing he did.

Shawn headed into the school a little earlier than normal. He knew that Turner would be in so he wanted to speak to him about some extra credit before school started. Shawn went to his locker and he put his coat and books away before he headed to his homeroom where Turner was bound to be. Shawn walked into the room to see Turner sitting at his desk working on papers. Shawn knocked on the door and Turner looked up. He gave Shawn a smile and was surprised to see him here this early.

"Hey Shawn, come on in." Turner said with a smile.

"Hey Jon. Do you have a minute?" Shawn asked as he walked into the room.

"Always. What's up? It's a little early for you to be here, everything ok?" Turner asked as he gave Shawn his full attention.

"Ya everything is fine. I just wanted to talk to you before school started is all."

"Ok what's up?" Turner asked.

He had been a little worried about Shawn for the last three months. He had noticed that he had been more tired recently. He had found out through Cory that Shawn had been working at his Uncle Mike's garage on the weekends. Turner wasn't happy that Shawn was working, but it wasn't uncommon for sixteen year olds to get part-time jobs.

"I know my grades in your classes suck I was wondering if there was something I could do for extra credit." Shawn said lightly unsure of himself and how Turner was going to react.

"Well that was unexpecting. Alright we can talk about that, but I have to ask why?" Turner didn't know if he should be happy or concerned right now that Shawn wanted to do extra credit.

Shawn sat down on the edge of one of the school desks as he spoke. "I want to go to college Jon. I want to be something, someone more than the kid from the trailer park. So I'm trying to get my grades up so I can get an Art Scholarship or at least have a chance of getting one. So I need to get my grades up and keep them up for the next two years."

"Shawn you know I will always help you out. Your English isn't that bad, you're right on the average in the class. If you want it higher then study more for the tests and if you have any questions you can always ask me. Your Social Studies grade is a little low, but you can get it up. I'll tell you what I want a mural done with all of the Presidents on it, like a timeline with their birth dates and their death dates. I don't want it in the traditional form of a timeline though. I'll give you until the end of this semester to complete it. Do whatever you want with it, get as creative as you want. If you get it done by the end of the semester and you continue to show up to class and do the assignments then I will add an extra twenty percent onto your final grade."

"Are you serious?" Shawn asked shocked.

"I'm serious, but don't think you can just print off some pictures and stick them on a bulletin board. I want something creative and something outstanding. It's a big project Shawn, but I think you can do it."

"So I have complete creative control?" Shawn asked sounding interested.

"Complete as long as it is respectful, but complete. You up for it?"

"Ya definitely thanks Jon."

"No problem. If you need help in any of your courses you can always come to me. I know Eli said you are his star student in Photography. Do you think you want to do that or a career?"

"I might ya. I sell photos and sketches sometimes on the weekends downtown from a table. I've gotten a few photography jobs from it. People seem to like it. I like it. Even developing the photos is peaceful work. I never thought I would like it or be good at it, but I am and I really enjoy it."

"Well you've always been creative Shawn. You've written poetry, you play guitar, you sketch which I didn't know you even did. You're a creative person and you can find lots of jobs where people need someone like you. Good for you. I'm proud of you for trying to get your grades up and looking towards a future. For a long time you never believed you even had one. It's nice hearing that you have hope and faith in yourself just like the rest of us do."

"Thanks Jon."

"Anytime Shawn. Do you want to come by this weekend? We can cook something for dinner and watch a movie."

"Um ya I have to work until about four on both Saturday and five on Sunday, but I could do something afterwards."

"I can pick you up if you want so you don't have to walk over to my place."

"Ya sure that'd be great."

"Alright we can either cook something or we could pick up a pizza on the way back."

"I'm good for either."

"We can figure it out. How about Saturday?"

"Sure I'll bring a change of clothes so I can shower at your place."

"Sounds like a plan."

"Alright, well I am gonna go grab something to eat and then go find Cory. I'll see you in class Jon."

"See ya soon Shawn." Turner said with a smile.

Shawn headed out of the classroom and down the hallways to the Café so he could grab some breakfast before school started. He didn't have much food at the house. He would have to do some food shopping on the way home from school today. He didn't work tonight, but he had to work tomorrow night and for the rest of the week. Shawn wanted to use tonight to get as much of his work done as he could. He was also working on a few sketches that he needed to finish up so he could have more to sell. Today in photography he could develop the photos he had taken with the school camera in the last couple of weeks. Eli really liked Shawn and because he was so good at it he let Shawn do his own thing as long as he completed the assignments on time, which Shawn always completed early. It was the one course that Shawn knew wasn't going to be a problem for him. Something Shawn was very thankful for.

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It was the end of the day and Shawn was sitting in his History class listening to Mr. Feeney going on about World Wars. Shawn was trying to pay attention, but he just couldn't get himself interested in it. History wasn't a subject that Shawn could get interested in, because he just couldn't see the point in it. It was History, it was in the past and the past was always hard to focus on unless it was his own. Shawn was trying though and he was taking notes so he could study them for any tests or quizzes that came up. He didn't have to be interested in it for him to memorise facts and spit them back out. Once class was over Cory turned to Shawn.

"So what are you doing tonight Shawnie my boy?"

"I have to get some food shopping done then I am working on some homework and sketches. You?" Shawn asked as he packed up.

"You're going to do homework? Are you feeling ok?" Cory asked with concern.

"I feel fine Cor, I'm just trying to bring my grades up is all. I have to work a lot this week at night so I am gonna try and get as much done tonight as I can. It's no big deal."

"Well if you want you could always come over after you do your food shopping. Have dinner with us and we can do our homework together." Cory offered feeling like he should be in complete support mode with Shawn.

"Ya maybe I'll see what Dad is up to when I get home." Shawn said thinking how he could get more work done at Cory's than he could at home with his father drinking.

"Alright well let's get out of here then." Cory said with a smile.

"I just need a minute I need to talk to Mr. Feeney." Shawn said as he stood up.

"Ok I'm gonna walk Topanga home and hopefully I will see you later tonight."

"Ya I'll probably show up if your parents are cool with me crashing dinner." Shawn said with a smile.

"They always are you know that. Come by and we can work together on the homework plus I want to see the sketches. You talk about them, but I have yet to see any."

"Alright I'll come by after I do some food shopping. I'll be there by five."

"Awesome I'll let my parents know. I gotta go see you soon Shawnie."

"See ya Cor."

Cory headed out of the classroom and Shawn took a breath before he headed over to the front where Mr. Feeney was sitting at his desk.

"Um Mr. Feeney can I talk to you for a second?" Shawn asked slightly unsure once again at how a teacher was going to react to his question.

"Of course Mr. Hunter. What is on your mind?" Mr. Feeney asked giving Shawn his full attention.

"I'm wondering if there is some way I can get some extra credit towards my grade or some kind of make-up test maybe." Shawn asked clearly uncomfortable with the conversation that Mr. Feeney knew had more to do with how he would react than to Shawn asking for more work.

"There is always something a student can do to make up grades in the course Mr. Hunter. I do have make-up tests, but you do not test well normally and I don't want to waste either of our time. May I ask why the sudden interest in your grades? You haven't cared about your grades ever, not that I am not pleased that you are all of a sudden just curious about the why."

"People always said I had potential, but I never believed them and part of me still doesn't really believe it. But I am good at something, I've finally found something I am really good at. I want more than a trailer park life. I want to have my own place and know that it will never go anywhere, that I'll have to worry about coming home to my home not being there in more ways than one. The only way I am going to achieve that is by going to College and I can't get in with bad grades or without a scholarship. I did some research on Art Scholarships and they go back three years in an applicant's high school record. I need to get my grades up so I have a chance at even being looked at. So I'm trying to get my grades up. I'm trying to have hope that there might actually be a future out there for me." Shawn said honestly.

"There always has been a future for you Shawn and there always will be. You are a very bright young man that has overcome a great deal in your life. I have no doubt in my mind that if you get your grades up and keep them up you will receive a scholarship or two for College. You've always had the potential, you just never had the faith in yourself and I am very pleased to see that you are starting to have that faith and I hope it grows and you take over the world with your talent. Now as I was saying I don't think a make-up test would be very helpful to you. You are a creative person though and a wonderful photographer if anything that Mr. Williams has said about you is true, which I have no doubt that it is. There is a Renaissance Fair on Friday it begins at nine and it goes until nine at night. I want you to go there and take pictures for the school newspaper and the photo booth. They asked me this morning if I knew of any students that would like to take pictures strictly on a volunteer basis. If you want I can tell them that you will be there and those twelve hours can also be used as part of the forty hours of community service that you need to complete to graduate. If you agree I want you to take the photos and then write me a thousand word paper on what you have learnt about that era that day. It doesn't have to be anything amazing and I am not looking for proper English. I am strictly looking to see what you have learnt during those twelve hours about that era. If you do that then I will add five percent to your end of the year mark. Every time you do something that is extra credit I will add five percent assuming you do the job to the best of your ability. How does that sound Mr. Hunter?" Mr. Feeney asked calmly.

"I'll take it. Do I develop the photos or do they go somewhere?"

"I believe they will develop the photos that will not be used for the newspaper, but you can ask Glen Hilton, he is the one in charge of the event. He will know what he wants done with the photos."

"Ok I'll ask him then. We don't have school at least on Friday so I won't have to worry about classes. I don't have to dress up thought right?" Shawn asked slightly afraid of the answer.

"No Mr. Hunter you do not need to worry about dressing up, but I would recommend you go looking professional you never know who might offer you a photography job."

"I'll look professional I promise. Thank-you Mr. Feeney."

"You are welcome. You need to know that I am doing this out of faith in you Mr. Hunter. If you skip my classes and don't do the work I won't continue to give you opportunities to get extra credit. Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal I won't let you down."

"I am sure you won't. Enjoy the day and hopefully you will learn something."

"I'll do my best. Thanks again Mr. Feeney."

"Yes now go home, do your homework." Mr. Feeney said with a smile.

"I'm actually gonna go over to Cory's place and we're gonna do it together. I'll see you tomorrow." Shawn said with a smile.

"See you tomorrow Mr. Hunter."

Shawn grabbed his bag and he headed out of the classroom and down to his locker real quick to get his books that he would need before he headed out for the grocery store. Once he grabbed a few things for the trailer for breakfast and easy dinners for the week Shawn headed back to the trailer to put it all away. He got there and sure enough his father was drinking and smoking his cigar at the table with a couple of men from the trailer park.

"Oh good you brought food. We were gettin' hungry boy." Chet said loudly with a loud laugh afterwards.

Shawn didn't say anything he just went and put the food away before he headed into his room and grabbed his sketch book and pencils before he headed back out.

"I'm going to Cory's I'll be back later." Shawn just said as he closed the door behind him.

Shawn had a very strong feeling he would come back tonight to find out that most if not all of the food he just bought would be eaten up by the three drunk men in the trailer right now. It pissed Shawn off thinking that he had bought that food to cook to feed himself and his drunk father for the week and now it would probably be all gone by the three drunk men in one night. Shawn was getting sick of this, but he had to be there to take care of his father. Shawn didn't know why, but he just felt like it was the right thing to do and something he had to do. At least tonight he was going to be eating dinner at the Matthews' place so he didn't have to worry about it until tomorrow.

Shawn arrived at the Matthews' just after four. He walked in through the kitchen and smiled at Cory who was sitting at the table doing homework while Amy was in the kitchen.

"Shawnie boy you made it." Cory said with a smile.

"I told you I would be here. Good evening Mrs. Matthews." Shawn said with a smile as he headed over to the table to sit down with Cory.

"Evening Shawn. How are you?" Amy said with a smile.

"I'm good thanks. Yourself?"

"I'm doing well. Are you staying for dinner?"

"If that's okay."

"You know you are always welcome. Are you boys going to do your homework?"

"We are, but first I need to see those sketches." Cory said to Shawn.

"Ok, but they're not finished yet." Shawn said as he opened his book bag and pulled out his sketch book.

"You sketch Shawn?" Amy asked with surprise.

"Ya I just mess around. I've sold a few with some photographs on the streets on some weekends. I've gotten a few photography jobs from it and a few people have wanted me to do sketches of them" Shawn said with a shrug as he opened is sketch book.

Amy came over to look herself and she was very impressed by what she saw.

"Oh Shawn that is beautiful."

"Shawn, man you really are talented look at these." Cory said amazed and he flipped through the book.

"Thanks." Shawn said bashfully.

"You have a true talent Shawn. They are beautiful. You know there is a woman at my work who wants to have a mural painted on her daughter's wall. She wants a Once Upon a Time theme to her little girl's room. If you think you are up for it I could get her to call you." Amy said.

"Really?" Shawn asked.

"If you want. I don't know how well you are at paint, but if you want I can get her to call you."

"Ya that'd be awesome. What's her little girl's name?"

"Danielle. She's four and obsessed with Disney. She has even gotten her a princess canopy bed. Her daughter will be gone for the week in May so she was hoping to surprise her when she came back."

"Ya it's not really my thing, but I'll give it a shot. I can sketch something real quick that you can show her if you want."

"That would be great Shawn. "

"I'll sketch something and give it to you for her."

"Perfect she is going to be thrilled to find someone as talented as you are. Plus she's willing to pay." Amy said with a smile as she headed over to the kitchen again to work on dinner.

"Awesome any extra helps." Shawn said.

"What did you talk to Mr. Feeney about?" Cory asked.

"Extra credit to try and bring my grade up. He's got me doing some volunteer work doing photography at a Renaissance Fair on Friday for twelve hours then I have to write a thousand word report on what I learnt about that era." Shawn answered.

"I don't know if I envy you or pity you." Cory said with a smile.

"I don't have to dress up just look proper and the twelve hours goes towards my community service hours that I need to graduate. So there's a plus. Also he said the report doesn't have to be all proper and perfect he's more interested in what I learnt during the twelve hours I'm gonna be there. The best part is if I do it the best I can then he's going to give me five percent on my final mark. And he'll give me more opportunities to add more percent as long as I continue to show up to class and do the assignments. "

"Good for you Shawn. People who try and show initiative are always rewarded and think of all the experience you get to have. Good for you." Amy said supportingly.

"Ya that's awesome man. We're off Friday, Topanga and I could always stop by and see you. She would probably love to go." Cory said.

"Probably already has an outfit for it." Shawn joked with a smile.

"That wouldn't surprise me actually."

"You can stop by, but I don't know how busy I'll be so I make no promises."

"Fair enough, now on to English homework." Cory said with fake enthusiasm.

Cory and Shawn worked on their homework until dinner. At dinner they all talked about their day and Shawn was always amazed that every night they would all sit down for dinner and talk about their day without having to be forced to. It was a surreal situation to Shawn and one he always missed when he was back home at the trailer. Even when he lived with Turner they would talk about their day and Turner would always listen to him and actually talk back. Where his father just gave a nod and Shawn knew he hadn't heard a word he said. It was nice to be able to talk about something without talking to a human wall. After dinner they did some more homework until about nine when it was time for Shawn too head home. After dinner Alan had also wanted to see his sketch book and Shawn couldn't help but smile at the praise he had received from Alan, a man he had always seen as his second father. Not his real father, but the father that was always there for him no matter what. Shawn knew he could go to Alan with any problem and he would listen to him and if he was mad enough he would lecture him and treat him like he was one of his own sons. It had been a comfort to Shawn over the years to know that he could always come over and he would be treated like a member of the family.

Shawn headed back to the trailer and he wasn't shocked to see that his father and now five men were sitting around the living room drinking and eating the food he had just bought. Shawn also knew that he wouldn't be able to go to bed any time soon. With a sigh Shawn headed back out of the trailer and down to Uncle Mike's garage. He knew it would still be open for another twenty minutes. When he got there he could stay in the back office and do some more homework and he could also sleep on the couch until tomorrow morning when he could go back to the trailer and get ready for school. It wasn't much, but at least he would be alone and in the quiet. It was also something he had done quite a bit in the last three months to the point where his Uncle didn't even ask him why anymore. It was the rule of the trailer park, what happens in the trailer park stays in the trailer park. Even if a child was being abused or neglected they didn't call the authorities and if they couldn't fix it themselves they would just ignore it and hope for the better. That was the point that Shawn was at, they just ignored what was happening and hoped that something changed Chet's ways once again. Shawn truly didn't know how much longer he could keep this up, but he was going to be seeing Turner on Saturday to hang out and watch movies like old times and Shawn was looking forward to it. At least he was getting on track with his life, even if he was exhausted all the time. He only had two and a half more years before he would be graduated and he could be living in the dorms. All he had to do was get his grades up and keep them up. It would take some getting used to and it would be a lot of work, but he could handle it and he would get used to it. With that small hope Shawn went to his Uncle's garage to settle in for the night.

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It was Saturday and Turner was just arriving at the garage to pick up Shawn. He wanted to really talk to Shawn tonight about how much he is working. He had noticed in the last few months that Shawn was getting to be more and more tired as each week went on. Turner wanted to know just how Shawn was holding up and what was going on at home. Tonight was going to be a perfect time to have a causal conversation about it. He saw Shawn walking out from the garage and he looked exhausted. Turner could see he had been working hard all day and Turner was glad he brought his car tonight and not his bike. Shawn would be able to relax on the drive back. Turner watched as Shawn waived goodbye to his Uncle Mike before he spotted Turner and his car. Shawn headed over to the car. Shawn got in and he sunk back into the seat with an exhausted sigh.

"You alright?" Turner asked with concern.

"Ya I'm just tired" Shawn said with a heavy voice.

"Well why don't we go pick up a pie and we can head back and just relax. You can crash there tonight if you want." Turner said as he put the car in drive and headed off for his neighborhood.

"God you have no idea how amazing a bed sounds right now. It's right up there with a hot shower." Shawn said with his eyes closed.

"I don't know what to ask first, why a bed sounds so good as you should be sleeping in one every night or why you have no hot water." Turner aid with concern.

"Electricity got cut off on Tuesday. I thought I paid it, but I must have forgotten and after having a bad record with them they cut it off now when we miss a payment. Between today's shift and tomorrow's shift at the garage I'll have enough to make the full payment so they can turn it back on. But no electricity means no heat, also means no stove or oven or anyway to cook food. I was able to start a camp fire though outback and I've been able to cook soup that I got from one of the food banks a month ago for dinner for the last few days." Shawn let out a yawn before he continued. "As for the bed I haven't slept on a bed in six months. The trailer my father got only has one room and he's sleeping in it so I sleep on the couch"

"What? Shawn why didn't you tell me you've been without electricity for six days? Why isn't your father paying the bills and not you? And why the hell if you only have one room would he have you sleeping on the couch? I don't even know where to start." Turner said frustrated at the situation.

"Because if he passes out and throws up in the bed that's his problem to clean up. If he passes out and throws up in the living room I'll have to clean it up so it's just easier to let him sleep in the room."

"Your father is drinking? I thought you said he was sober Shawn."

"He was for months then he started again when he lost his job. It's not that bad really Jon. It's nothing I can't handle. I shouldn't even be telling you this, but I'm tired and I talk a lot when I'm really tired. It's fine really it's nothing that I haven't already been through plenty of times."

"Shawn just because you are used to it, doesn't mean you should have to deal with it. That doesn't make it right. You're gonna be staying with me till Monday when I know you will have electricity again and I don't want to hear any arguments." Turner said in a serious voice.

"You won't get any from me Jon. I'm tired and having a quiet place to do my homework is a bonus. Plus I'm very confused on what the hell my History chapter is even talking about."

"I'll read it with you tomorrow and we can go over it. What do you work tomorrow?"

"I only work from noon till five tomorrow. I worked extra all this week to make up for the time difference so I could have a few hours Sunday to work on homework. I have to write a thousand word report about the renaissance for Feeney for Monday." Shawn said as they arrived at the pizza place.

"Right for the extra credit, George told me about that. You still like the same things on your pizza?"

"Yup."

"I'll be right back."

Turner got out of his car and headed inside the shop. He ordered a large pizza for him and Shawn and once it was ready he headed back into the car. He put the pizza on the backseat before he backed out and headed the rest of the way to the apartment.

"I was surprised he even let me do any extra work. I thought I would for sure hear a lecture from him. He was actually really surprised and all for it. I can't screw this up or he's not going to give me anymore and I really need marks in his class even if it's just five percent."

"What is your mark in his class right now it can't be that bad."

"Fifty-three."

"Ok that's bad, but it's a pass right now. I'll help you out with your homework tomorrow and I'm sure between the two of us we can figure out what its saying. You also have that book you have to read by Friday with a two thousand word report remember." Turner said.

"Oh shit I forgot all about it. Right ya okay."

"You need to keep all of this organized so you don't forget anything important. The school office has planners for free you should grab one that way you can keep track of everything." Turner suggested as they pulled into a parking spot.

"That's not a bad idea. I can use it to keep track of all the work I have to do too."

They headed inside and up to the apartment as Turner spoke as he held the pizza.

"Do you work a lot at the garage?"

"Twenty-five hours a week roughly, some weeks are more. Plus now I have three photography jobs within the next two months. Plus I have a job with a college of Mrs. Matthews' to paint a mural on her four year old daughter's wall. I made a sketch for her and Mrs. Matthews showed it to her and she loved it. I have to do that in May and she wants it done by the time her daughter gets back in a week. So I'll be busy plus school work." Shawn answered as they headed inside.

"Shawn you can't work that much plus be able to handle your school work. No wonder you are exhausted when do you sleep?" Turner asked as he put the pizza down on the coffee table before he removed his jacket.

"Up until a week ago I slept in your class." Shawn said jokingly, but partly true. There had been nights when Shawn didn't get any sleep and he had to sleep at school to even get any sleep at all.

"I'm serious Shawn. You can't keep working so much you'll burn yourself out. You're already well on your way." Turner said with concern.

"I'll be alright. With the photography jobs I won't need to work at the garage as much which frees up some time. I'll be okay Jon." Shawn said as he removed his jacket and for the first time Turner was able to see that Shawn's left hand was wrapped in a tenser bandage up to his elbow.

"Shawn what happened to your arm?" Turner asked with worry as he pointed to Shawn's left arm.

"Oh it's nothing. I just hurt it at work last night." Shawn said as he sat down on the couch.

"When did you work last night? You were at that fair until nine, what time did you go to work?" Turner asked as he sat down beside Shawn.

"Uncle Mike needed a car finished by morning and everyone else had already worked and gone home. I went in last night at ten and worked on it by myself until about five this morning. Then I went home and got cleaned up and slept for maybe two hours before I had to go back in for my shift for today. Around one in the morning I think I nodded off for a second and I banged my wrist between the motor and the hood. It's fine, it's just a little sore from working all day. Thankfully I'm right handed." Shawn said with a small smirk, even though how he injured it was a complete lie. His father had done it last night when he got back to the trailer. Shawn was certain his father was going to break it when he pushed him to the floor and stomped on his wrist. He then got the call to go into work and he took the chance to get the hell out of there.

"Here let me take a look." Turner said as he turned to face Shawn.

Shawn didn't even both to argue and Turner knew he was tired to not even put up a fight. Turner carefully took Shawn's wrist and unwrapped the tenser bandage and he couldn't believe that Shawn's wrist and part of his forearm as black and blue. His wrist was swollen and it looked very painful.

"Shawn how hard did you hit it?" Turner asked with worry that Shawn's wrist was actually broken.

"Pretty bad, it was one hell of a wakeup call."

"Shawn we should get this looked at it could be broken."

"It's not I've had it broken before I can move my fingers this time around. It's just sprained. It wasn't swollen before, but I guess working with it all day today it got irritated."

"You shouldn't have been working with it at all Shawn. You shouldn't be working tomorrow with your wrist like this."

"I'll be fine. It's only for five hours. I'll just be careful with it."

"You need ice on that." Turner said as he got up and headed into the kitchen. He grabbed an ice pack from the freezer and he went back over to the couch.

Shawn took the ice pack and gently placed it against the top of his wrist.

"I'll be fine Jon."

"I don't like you being hurt and I don't like the fact that you were so tired you fell asleep while working in a car. You could have cut your hand off Shawn. That worries me."

"I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault and I'm not mad at you I'm just concerned. You never used to be this tired living with me. I know you love your dad and I want you to be happy where you are living, but I'm worried about if it's the best place for you to be living in."

"I've always lived with my dad except for that year Jon. I'm used to it. Things go good for a while and then things go bad for a while. It'll turn around soon. He'll find a job and I won't have to work so much. I'll be okay Jon."

"I know you will be, but it don't make it any easier. Come on let's eat something and then you can take a shower and just relax for the night. Tomorrow we can worry about your History chapter."

"It's like fifty pages."

"Ok maybe I'll read it tonight so tomorrow we can go over it together." Turner said with a smile as he picked up a piece of pizza and put it on a plate and handed it to Shawn before he got his own.

"It's about some witches." Shawn said confused.

"Oh the Salem Witch Trials. Oh that I can explain easily. I was afraid it would be about some battle in some third world country that no one really knows about. I can do the Witch Trials."

"Well that's good because I don't get it. But it might have something to do with the fact that I tried reading on my break tonight and I could barely make out the words."

"Ya that might have something to do with it Shawn. Once you get enough sleep you'll have no problems with it. How was the fair yesterday?"

"It was different. Cory and Topanga came by to say hi. I was really busy all day and I took over three hundred photos that I have to develop for the coordinator. But he said I did such a good job that once he sees the developed photos and if he likes them he said I could work for him come the summer as an assistant. Which would be cool, because he's one of the best photographers in Philly."

"Good for you Shawn. That would be a great opportunity for you."

"Ya he has a wedding in July in Paris. Actual Paris, France and I could be going with him. It's crazy to think about it."

"That's amazing Shawn. Paris seems like a great place for you to visit. The streets are covered with artist expressing their work and art. That would be an amazing opportunity for you and learning experience." Turner said with a smile and supportingly.

"Glen, that's the guy he was telling me how he doesn't speak French so when he goes down there a few times a year he has to hire a translator. I told him how I speak French and he was really happy about that, because he wouldn't have to hire a translator."

"You speak French? We lived together for a year, why do I not know that about you? How did you learn French?" Turner asked shocked.

"When I was eight I had a babysitter in the trailer park. He was French and he taught me while he watched me after school I can read, write and speak French. I mean it's not perfect, but it's passable."

"See I didn't know that about you. That's cool Shawn and you can use that for jobs."

"Ya I guess I never really thought much of it. I just have to get through the next three months of school and then I could be working during the summer, save up as much as I can for school next year."

"You shouldn't have to worry about that Shawn. You should just be focusing on school and not having to worry about paying the bills. It's not fair to you, whether you are used to it or not."

"It is what it is Jon. He needs me, he's my dad. I'm gonna be there for him."

"I know you are, but just promise me if it becomes too much you will come to me."

"I promise Jon."

Shawn had finished eating and he got up to put his plate into the kitchen as Turner put the leftover pizza into the fridge.

"I'm gonna shower and then I think I'm just gonna crash. Is that cool?"

"Ya no you need sleep and as much of it as you can get. Go shower and then curl into bed. It's already made up for you. If you are not up by ten thirty I'll get you up so you can eat some breakfast before you go into work. I'll also pick you up at five so you don't have to walk back here."

"Ok sounds good. Then homework, lots of homework." Shawn said with a heavy sigh.

"It'll be okay we can get through it. Just rest tonight and we can worry about your homework tomorrow." Turner said with a smile.

"Ya ok. Thanks for letting me crash here."

"You're welcome here any time Shawn you know that. You still have a key so you can be here whenever you want."

Shawn gave Turner a small smile of thanks.

"Go take that shower and keep the ice on your wrist when you get out for a little bit."

"Ok" Shawn said as he headed for the bathroom so he could take a shower and then crawl into bed and sleep.

Turner watched as Shawn headed into the bathroom. He wasn't happy about what was going on, but he also knew there wasn't anything he could do about it. Shawn didn't want to leave his dad and part of Turner could understand that, but the other part of him hated that Shawn was so loyal to a man that didn't deserve it, father or not. Turner was just going to keep a very close eye on him and be there for when Shawn needed someone. Turner thought of Shawn as a younger brother and he was not about to let Shawn deal with all of this on his own. He was going to be there for Shawn and help him out. If nothing else he was always going to make sure Shawn knew he was welcome in this home whenever he needed to be here. Turner just hoped that Chet smartened up and realised just what he is putting Shawn through. With a heavy sigh Turner went and sat down on the couch. He wouldn't need to read Shawn's History book now that he knew it was about the Salem Witch Trials. So he pulled out some of his own markings and got to work on that so tomorrow he could give Shawn his full attention.

It was twenty minutes later when Shawn came out of the bathroom and headed into his old bedroom. He closed the door and without even turning the light on he went over to the bed and crawled under the covers. He made sure his wrist was propped up so he wouldn't roll onto it in the middle of the night. He put the ice pack over it and he closed his eyes. He was asleep within minutes feeling safe for the first time in months.


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N: Hello again do you hate me yet? I always think my readers are planning my mutiny with how long some of my stories go without an update. I have so many stories and some just write faster and easier than others. But here is an update and I am working on my two other Shawn stories right now so hopefully soon they will have an update.**_

 _ **Warnings: Mentions of child abuse**_

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Chapter 2

It had been three weeks since Shawn had spent the weekend at Turner's place. He had been working a lot to make up some money so he had some saved up as extra for when his father and his drinking buddies ate all of the food. They also had property tax coming up soon for the year so he would need to have that amount as well. As a result he had been working practically non-stop for three weeks. He had been working at the garage and then he had been working on side jobs for photography and sketches. He was also having to go to school all day long and stay awake through the classes. He was doing extra work as well for Mr. Fenney. Between all of the work and school he was only getting a couple of hours of sleep a night, if that. Some nights he would be stuck outside while his father went into a fit of rage and Shawn had left to escape any injuries coming his way. Shawn had barely gotten ten hours of sleep in the past three weeks if he was lucky.

Today was Monday and Shawn had a History test today. He had spent the weekend trying to study, but his father had decided he was going to have a party all day and night long. He had also gotten violent last night out of nowhere. Shawn was now supporting a black and blue swollen shut right eye from his father punching him. Shawn hadn't expected it and his father didn't hold back at all. It had been throbbing for hours last night. The pain was so bad that Shawn hadn't been able to fall asleep at all. Now he was beyond exhausted and had a major headache to go with it. Shawn wanted nothing more than to go and crash at Turner's place, but he had a test today and he didn't want Mr. Fenney to think he was skipping.

Shawn walked into school just after seven thirty that morning. He was thirty minutes early so he wouldn't have to deal with the looks and questions from everyone. Shawn was hoping he could talk to Mr. Fenney and see if he could take the test tomorrow. This way Mr. Fenney wouldn't think he was trying to get out of the test. He was then hoping he could crash at Turner's place for the day. He didn't have to work tonight as his Uncle Mike was doing something illegal and Shawn didn't want any part of it. Shawn was glad that he could have the night off because he truly didn't feel up to working and his wrist was still bruised and sore. Shawn headed towards where Turner's class was. He was hoping he would know where Mr. Fenney was so he didn't have to look all over for him. As Shawn walked into the classroom Turner looked up to see Shawn walking into the room. He stood up and went around his desk the second he saw Shawn's eye.

"Shawn, what the hell happened?" Turner asked with complete concern and anger at whoever hit Shawn.

Shawn walked over to a desk that was at the front of the class and he half sat on the top of it as he spoke.

"It's a long story Jon." Shawn said with complete exhaustion to his voice.

Turner knew that Shawn wasn't getting enough sleep for weeks now. It was clear to everyone that he was tired and working too much. Today though he just sounded like he could fall over any minute.

"I got the time Shawn." Turner said calmly but the anger was still there.

"I'm too tired Jon for this right now. I'll explain later I promise. Right now I just need to find Mr. Fenney."

"Oh there will be a discussion later. Why are you in school right now?"

"I have a History test and I didn't want Fenney thinking I was skipping out."

"I get that Shawn, but your eye is swollen shut. Did you get it checked out you could have a concussion." Turner said with worry.

"I don't. I've had those before it didn't feel like this. I just have a headache and my face really hurts. I just need sleep. I figured I would talk to Fenney and then I was hoping I could crash at your place."

"It's our place Shawn and it always will be. You can be there for as long as you'd like. I will talk to Feeney for you when I see him this morning. You are going home. I'll drive you I got the car today too so it won't hurt like the bike would right now."

"Ok, I just don't want him thinking I'm skipping."

"I'll talk to him and let him know you are hurt and home sick. Come on let's get you home and in bed." Turner said as he put a supportive arm around Shawn's shoulders.

They both headed out of the school and towards Turner's car. Once there Shawn got into the passenger side while Turner got into the driver's seat. Shawn sat back in the seat and rested his head against the back of the seat as Turner took off for home. Turner didn't say anything as he could tell that Shawn was too exhausted right now for conversation. Shawn enjoyed the quiet while Turner drove to the apartment. His head was pounding and all he wanted to do was sleep. He couldn't wait until they got there so he could curl up in bed and just sleep. It was fifteen minutes later when Turner parked in his spot and they both got out of the car and headed upstairs. Once inside the apartment Turner spoke as he went over to the fridge.

"You need to put some ice on that eye."

Shawn put his book bag down on the couch and took off his coat. Turner came back over and handed Shawn the ice pack.

"Thanks."

"There is medicine in the bathroom you know that. There's food in the fridge too so if you are hungry go hunt."

"I'm just gonna sleep for now." Shawn let out a wince as the ice pack touched his eye.

"You need to take something for the pain." Turner said with worry.

"I will before I go to bed. I'm just so tired Jon."

"I know you're a little shaky. Ok you get into bed and I will bring you a pill and some water."

Shawn just gave a nod and he headed to his bedroom. He still had some sweats here so he sat down on the bed to remove his boots. He also removed his over shirt when Turner walked into the room with the pill and glass of water. He set them down on the bedside table when he noticed Shawn's wrist was still all bruised.

"Shawn, that hasn't healed yet." Turner said as he nodded to Shawn's wrist.

"Oh no not yet. It still hurts, but I've been working with it so it's taking long to heal." Shawn said with a small shrug.

"We can talk about that later too. For now get some much needed sleep. I'll be back when school is over."

"Thanks Jon."

"There's nothing to thank Shawn. I'll see you later. Good night."

"Night Jon."

Turner headed out of the room and back down to his car. He didn't know what was going on with Shawn, but he was going to find out later once Shawn got some sleep into him. For now he would go back to work and talk to Feeney so he knew why Shawn wasn't in school today.

Shawn took the pill and then got changed out of his pants. Once he was in just his t-shirt and boxers he got under the covers. He let out a sigh as his head touched the pillows. He made sure the ice pack was still on his eye and with that he closed his other eye and let the exhaustion take him under.

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It wasn't until after four by the time Turner got back to the apartment. He had stopped off at the Chinese Restaurant to pick up some dinner. He could have cooked something, but this was easier and this would allow Turner the time to spend talking with Shawn. He walked in and saw Shawn curled up on the couch sitting up with a blanket over his lap. He had his History textbook in his lap reading it. Shawn looked up from the book and saw Turner coming in. Shawn was sitting facing towards the door with his head resting on the back of the couch. He still looked exhausted and Turner knew he should be sleeping still right now. Turner closed the door and put the food down on the coffee table as he spoke.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" Turner asked with concern.

"I'm tired and my head still really hurts. The sleep felt amazing though. Is everything ok with Mr. Feeney?"

"Yes he was fine with you not being there. He's been worried about you in the past few weeks. He said you seem exhausted which you clearly are. He said you could write it when you come back." Turner said as he took off his jacket and removed his boots before heading into the kitchen to get two plates.

"Good I was worried he would think I'm up to my old tricks again. I've been able to get ten percent extra credit and if I can get eighty percent or higher on this test I'll be sitting around a seventy."

"He knows you are trying really hard Shawn." Turner said as he sat down on the other end of the couch and put the plates down on the coffee table as he took out the containers.

"What did you get?"

"Your favorite, sesame chicken plus I got chicken lo mien, veggies and sweet and sour pork. Do you want a little of everything?"

"Ya thanks."

Turner put some food on the two plates and he handed Shawn his chop sticks and his plate. Turner sat back on the couch as he spoke.

"How's the studying going?"

"Oh I wasn't really studying. I've been up for about an hour and I figured I would read the chapter that I missed today before I study. I studied for fourteen hours straight yesterday I figured the break would do me good."

"It's good to study, but if you over study then you won't retain much of the information. A break is a good thing. I can quiz you later if you want."

"Ya that would be great. It's on chapters eighteen to twenty-two. I've been studying all week, but it seems like there's a lot I don't know still. I really need to do good on this test otherwise all of the extra work will be for nothing." Shawn said with stress clear in his voice.

"You'll be ok Shawn don't worry. I'll quiz you and you'd be surprised at how much you already know. You don't work tonight right?"

"No I don't. Uncle Mike is doing something not on the up and up. I told him I didn't want any part of it and he understood. He knows I'm trying to get out, he's supportive in his own way. You've met him." Shawn said with a small shrug.

"I have met him. I'm glad that he isn't trying to make you participate in any of that illegal crap he has going on in that garage. I don't like that you are around that if the cops get wind of what he is doing and you are in there you could get into trouble."

"I know. I'm careful though."

"I know you are I still don't like it though. Matthews was asking about you today."

"What did he say?"

"Wanted to know if I had heard from you today. I told him you just needed a day to catch up on some sleep. That you would be back tomorrow, though I don't know if you should be. You still look exhausted."

"I'll be alright. I have work tomorrow I also need to work on some sketches. I developed those photos though from the Renaissance Fair and Glen loved them. He's letting me come with him on a job next month as an assistant and see how I fit in with him and his crew."

"That's great Shawn. Good for you. It's a great opportunity for you to get some experience and knowledge." Turner said supportively.

"Ya I'll see how it goes I guess. He might not like what I do or it might not work with his crew. All I can do is my best and see what happens. What happened in school?"

Turner told Shawn about everything that happened in school. They talked about the new English assignment as they ate. Once they were done eating Turner cleaned up and put the rest of the food away in the fridge for later. Once the cleanup was done Turner came back over to the couch and sat down. Shawn had gone back to reading his History book as Turner spoke.

"Shawn, we need to talk about your eye." Turner started calmly.

"I know." Shawn said softly as he closed his book and looked at Turner.

"Let's start with who punched you?" Turner asked calmly.

"It's not that simple of a question Jon." Shawn said sadly.

"Well I'm an intelligent guy; I can handle complicated." Turner said calmly, even though he didn't like how this conversation was starting out.

Shawn let out an unsure breath before he spoke.

"You have to promise me you won't do anything." Shawn said in a serious voice.

"I can't promise you that Shawn unless I know what is going on. I can promise you that I will listen to you and take your opinion and feelings into account. That's the best I can do for you though."

"That's fair."

"Ok, who hit you?" Turner said now that they had an understanding.

"My Father." Shawn said softly.

"What? What do you mean he hit you?" Turner said with complete anger at Chet for ever laying hand on Shawn.

"It's nothing. He just gets drunk and sometimes he gets violent. I can normally get out of the way, but sometimes it comes out of nowhere and I can't get out of there before something happens. It's really not a big deal." Shawn said sadly.

"Shawn that is the very definition of a big deal. He has no right to hit you and it's not your fault for not being able to get out of the way fast enough." Turner said with anger.

"I know it's not my fault Jon. When I was younger I used to think it was normal. I don't have a memory before the hits started. The first one I have was when I was three. I just thought it was normal. I didn't grow up in the best places after all. It's not like I was the only kid walking around with bruises. It wasn't until I met Cory did I start to figure out that it wasn't as normal as I thought it was. That's when I started thinking it was my fault. I must have deserved it. It was only when he was drinking that he would get that mad. I know it's not my fault now though, you taught me that. Living here with you taught me it wasn't my fault. I know he doesn't have any right to hit me. I know I don't deserve it. He only does it while he's back to drinking and if he was a good father then he wouldn't drink to put himself at that risk. I know all of that." Shawn said calmly.

"This has been going on since you were three?" Turner asked with hurt in his voice.

"Ya from what I can remember. My third birthday I was in the back of this guy's van getting my arm in a cast, my father had broke it. The guy used to be a vet or something that lost his license for animal cruelty. That's what I got for my third birthday. That and a really bad infection from the material that he used. Apparently it wasn't fresh or clean. I don't know. I just remember feeling like I was going to die. Thankfully our next door neighbor had an anti-biotic prescription left over from her dog that was sick."

"I…" Turner ran his hands over his face before he continued to speak. "I don't even know where to start on any of that. Everything you just said is beyond wrong. Shawn why? Why the hell would you ever go back to him? Why did you leave with him Shawn? I thought what was going on here was good for you and it was working. I know there was that issue with the guardianship papers, but that wasn't because of you that was my own personal problem and insecurities. I wanted you to stay here."

"Jon, it has nothing to do with the guardianship papers. I didn't get it then, but I do now. It wasn't so much as a huge step, but an official one. I wasn't really ready either. You signing them meant that my father really wasn't going to come back. That he really wasn't going to change. And even though I know different and better, part of me still felt like I wasn't good enough for him. When I saw him I just couldn't help but wonder why he would keep leaving when I was standing right there. He promised me he wouldn't drink anymore. That this time would be different. He's never promised me anything like that before and I believed him. I needed to believe him. And everything was great for three months and then he lost his job and he came home drunk. Ever since then I've just been trying to work to pay the bills and he just drinks his welfare away." Shawn said with a small shrug.

"Shawn I get that he is your Dad and that you love him and want him to be there for you, but you can't be there with him hitting you." Turner said calmly.

"That's what's stupid. That's what doesn't make any sense, because I know that. He's not my Dad Jon. He's never been a Dad, he's just a Father. What was needed to even make me to begin with. He's never been a dad to any of his kids. I don't see him as my Dad. I love him. I don't know why I do other than the fact that I'm supposed to. I should leave, but I can't. I know if I do he'll keep drinking. He won't pay the bills and he won't have money to eat. He'll end up homeless living on the streets where he could be hurt or get sick. He'll just drink himself to death if I'm not there to take care of him. He'll die. How can I leave knowing that I would be responsible for that? What kind of person would that make me?" Shawn said with confusion in his voice.

"It would not be your fault if Chet decides to drink himself to death. Shawn, even if you stay he is still going to drink himself to death one day. It's unfortunately who he is and like most alcoholics or drug users he's not going to stop. He has the best reason to stay sober right in front of him every day and he still continues to drink. Shawn I'm sorry, but if there was ever a reason for him to quit drinking for good it would be you and he would have made his decision that first time he ever hurt you. You can't keep yourself in this position. You can't keep getting hurt." Turner said with hurt and concern in his voice.

He understood that Shawn loved his father regardless of what happened to him. It was just natural and any person would, especially at Shawn's age. Turner didn't want Shawn there though where it wasn't safe for him. Turner had always had a hatred towards Chet the second he dropped his son off at some flea bag motel to go searching for his wife. He should have stayed with Shawn and been there for his son and not left him in a bad place where he could have been hurt. It wasn't what a father was supposed to be doing. Just the thought of Shawn going back to that trailer where Chet would be was making Turner's stomach turn with worry and fear. The problem was he knew he couldn't make Shawn stay here. Even if he called the police or social services he knew that Shawn would just lie. He felt a loyalty to his father and Turner understood it even if he didn't like it.

"See I know that, but I don't feel like that. It's stupid and it doesn't make any sense but I can't help but feel like it would be my fault for leaving him on his own. I know him hitting me is not my fault. I used to believe it was. At first I thought it was normal and then I met Cory and his parents didn't hurt him. Then I thought it was just me. I used to believe that if I was just good enough then he wouldn't hurt me. I thought I was bad and deserved it."

"You don't deserve it Shawn. You never have." Turner said with strength in his voice.

"I know that Jon. You taught me that. I'm not gonna lie there were a few times I was waiting for you to hit me. I gave you a few good reasons to on a few occasions, but you didn't. And I know you never will. You taught me it wasn't me that was bad or in the wrong. I know it's him. I just can't understand why I can't bring myself to leave him on his own." Shawn said sounding lost.

"Because you are a good person Shawn. He's your father and even though you know he won't be what you need you still feel a loyalty to him. I can't make you leave him. I could call the cops or social services, but I know you could just lie to them. I don't like the idea of you going back there where you could be hurt again. Did you really hurt your wrist on a car or did Chet do that to you?" Turner asked doing his best to keep his voice calm.

Shawn just gave a small nod and Turner let out a small sigh.

"I don't know why it's not healed yet. Maybe I should have gotten it looked at. Using it all the time doesn't help though, but I can't help it. It'll be fine." Shawn said gently.

"I don't like this Shawn. You are exhausted all the time from working at your uncle's garage just to be able to pay the bills. You are doing your school work plus extra work to make up some grades. And you are being abused by Chet. It's too much stress for one person let alone a teenager. You shouldn't be going through this. I'm assuming Cory or the Matthews don't know."

"No they don't know. I've always hid it from them. They know that my parents weren't really reliable. I've crashed at their place a lot and went there for meals. If they knew they wouldn't have let me go back there. I don't want them knowing. Cory wouldn't understand and he would worry. The Matthews are great, but they just wouldn't understand why I can't leave him to die. It's hard enough without being hassled about leaving. They just wouldn't understand."

"And you are hoping I understand and won't hassle you."

"I'm hoping you will know that if it gets to be too much that I'll leave. That you'll trust me to know when I need to get out."

"I do trust you, but I'm worried that you are going to stay longer than you should because you feel responsible for him. I don't want you there where you are getting hurt because you will feel guilty for leaving. He is not your responsibility Shawn it's the other way around. I can't make you leave. I would love to lock this door and tell you that you can never go back, but I know I can't do that. I hate that I can't do that. I do trust you Shawn and we are going to come to a compromise on this." Turner said knowing that he couldn't force Shawn to stay and he didn't want to push him away.

"Ok" Shawn said slightly unsure, but willing to listen.

"I know you have to be there during the week. I'm sure you have work and he probably expects you there am I right?"

Shawn gave a nod and Turner continued.

"Right so Saturday and Sundays you are here with me. If you have to work then that is fine I can always take you. But on those two days you stay here so I know you won't be trapped there with him. But I want to make this very clear if something happens during the week. If it gets to be too much for you that you leave and come straight here. You have a key so the door is always open to you. I don't care what time of the day or night it is. If you need to get away and go someplace safe you come here. I don't want you out on the streets or sleeping in your uncle's garage. Do we have an understanding here Shawn?" Turner said in a serious voice.

"Ya I can do that. He's usually drunk all weekend anyways so he won't notice that I'm not even there."

"Alright for now I won't pressure you about it, but that will only last for so long Shawn. I don't like that you are there with Chet getting drunk and hurting you."

"I'm fine Jon, I've been doing this basically my whole life."

"That doesn't make it ok or acceptable though Shawn. Life's not supposed to be this hard."

"I promise if it gets worse I'll leave. I just can't do that right now. I can't leave him to just die."

"I know you can't and I respect that even if I hate it. But Shawn I am not going to just let you die or get seriously hurt. If it gets worse I'll call the police and CPS. I don't care how pissed off you get at me for it. I have to look out for you and what is best for you, especially when you won't."

"I understand Jon." Shawn said with understanding in his voice.

"Good. I love you Shawn."

"I love you too Jon."

"Do you want me to quiz you or help you with the new reading?" Turner asked looking to change the subject for Shawn.

"Quiz please. I have to pass this test." Shawn said as he handed his History book over to Jon.

"You will be fine. I bet you know more about this than you think." Turner said as he took the book.

They spent the next three hours going over the History chapters and Turner would quiz Shawn. After three hours Turner spoke.

"That is it. I can official declare you test ready."

"Are you sure?" Shawn said slightly unsure.

"Shawn I am telling you as a teacher you are going to ace this test. When you go to write it don't over think it, just write what you know and you know these chapters. You are smarter than you give yourself credit for." Turner said.

"I don't feel very smart." Shawn softly admitted.

"Have you always felt that way?" Turner asked.

"Not always. I used to think I was really smart. I taught myself how to read when I was three and I could write my own name when I was four. Then when I was seven my father back handed me and I fell down a flight of metal stairs. Reading and writing didn't come as easy after that. Teachers in school started to tell me I wasn't smart enough and after a while I didn't try and just believed it."

"Shawn did you ever get looked at?" Turner said with hurt and worry.

"No. I woke up at the base of the stairs in the morning and I didn't know what to do so I got up and got dressed and went to school. Mom had left a week before and my father was still passed out drunk in the morning. I had a headache for a couple of months afterwards non-stop."

"Jesus Shawn, you could have had a concussion or a skull fracture. You could have a small amount of damage done to your brain for all you know."

"That was just life to me. It was normal to have a bruise or to be sore a few times a week. It was normal to most of us kids in that area. You live around crime and gangs you expect for things to happen. Even at a young age we're taught that. I remember when I first met Cory I thought he was the weird one. That his family life wasn't normal. It took a little while until I learnt that our family life wasn't normal in their world."

"Yet you never told them at all growing up? You've known them since you were six. Why didn't you tell them?" Turner asked calmly.

"At first I thought I did something wrong. That I must have deserved to be punished for something I did wrong. By the time I figured it out I just couldn't tell them. I wasn't going to leave my parents and I would never turn against them. Telling the Matthews would have only made them worry and they would have felt obligated to call the police and it all would have been for nothing. I could easily lie about the injuries. It would have been a lot of drama and frustration just for nothing to change."

"And now?"

"Same reason. They would worry and I don't want that for them. I don't want Cory to worry about me at night it's not fair to him. Not that it's fair to you, but you would handle this a lot better than Cory would."

"I understand Shawn. I won't tell anyone as long as you hold up your end of the deal."

"I will Jon I promise."

"I know you will."

"You know I have an older brother."

"Ya Eddie. Have you seen him recently?" Turner asked concerned with how Eddie could influence Shawn.

"No I haven't actually. I heard a rumor that he was arrested and in jail, but he could just be out of town until the heat dies down from whatever he stole. I meant another brother."

"How many siblings do you have?" Turner said with a smile.

"Only two half-brothers we all have the same father."

"Busy man apparently. Ok so who is this other half-brother?" Turner asked always interested in learning more about Shawn.

"Jack he's eighteen."

"So he's the same age as Eric. Where does he live?"

"New York City. He goes by Jack Conner his Step-Father's name. He used to live here with our father and his mother, downtown, where I used to live before we moved to the trailer park."

"Have you lived with him and Chet?"

"No. We've never even met. I didn't even know about him until I was seven. I found a picture of him that my father had in an old shoebox. I've found articles about him in the paper for New York. His step-father is a lawyer, criminal prosecutor he's made the papers a few times. I wrote him once a week until I was twelve. I didn't write much, just what I had done that week and I would mail it to him. Every single week until I was twelve. I never heard back from him. I kept writing though. I had this dream that he would come down one day and he would take me back with him to New York. That he would save me. It was stupid I don't even know why I would want that. I mean I didn't even tell Cory, my best friend about what was going on at home. Yet I would have went anywhere with Jack, someone I had never even met or spoken to. It doesn't make any sense."

"It makes perfect sense. Cory is your best friend, but that's not a brother. You wanted someone in your family to protect you and keep you safe. That's not stupid Shawn that's human nature. Of course you wanted your older brother to be there for you and keep you safe from someone hurting you. You've never heard from him at all?"

"No, nothing. At twelve I just had to face the facts that he didn't want anything to do with me so I stopped writing. It hurts that he doesn't want anything to do with me. I don't know what I did that made him not even a little bit curious about me."

"You didn't do anything Shawn he might not even know what to do about having a brother. It's not that easy for someone to get their minds around at a young age. You might meet him one day still."

"Maybe. It doesn't matter I gave up on that dream a long time ago. Besides I got Cory and the Matthews and I got you. I don't need anyone else."

"And you will always have us Shawn."

"I know. I don't know what I did to deserve having you all in my life, but I'm glad that I do."

"We're lucky to have you in our lives Shawn. You are an amazing young man." Turner said with a smile.

"Thanks Jon. I really appreciate you helping me study."

"Anytime, but no more tonight. You look exhausted why don't you go get in bed and get some sleep."

"Ya I think I will. I'll see you in the morning Jon."

"If you need me in the middle of the night just come to my room, you know that."

"I'll be fine, but I will if I need you."

"I love you Shawn."

"I love you too. Goodnight Jon."

"Goodnight Shawn."

Shawn got up off from the couch and headed into the bedroom. Turner went and placed the history textbook down on the coffee table and ran a hand over his face and through his hair. He couldn't believe everything he had just learnt about Shawn and his home life. He had no idea he had gone through any of that and they had lived together for a year. Turner couldn't help, but feel like he should have known these things about Shawn, they were important things for him to know and yet Shawn had kept quiet about it all. Turner knew he had to keep an eye on Shawn and make sure he was doing okay and was being looked after with him living with Chet. Chet was clearly in no hurry to be there for Shawn and be the parent. Turner would take over that role and make sure Shawn was looked after and was doing okay. He couldn't force Shawn to leave no matter how badly he wanted to. He knew that Shawn could just easily lie about where the injuries came from and it would all be for nothing. For now he would just have to wait and see if Shawn was able to handle this or if it got worse. Turner could only do nothing for so long though, if it got worse he would be doing something about it regardless of what Shawn wants. For now he would have to settle for keeping a close eye on Shawn and making sure he was taken care of. For tonight at least Turner knew that Shawn was safe here under his roof exactly where he belonged. The only problem was getting Shawn to see that his father wasn't his responsibility and he wouldn't be responsible for Chet drinking himself to death. Turner knew it would take some time and he didn't have any choice but to wait, but he was going to hope Shawn would be back to living here soon where he would be safe and just have to be a normal teenager.

Turner was also going to be doing something about Shawn's brother, Jack. It wasn't that Jack didn't have the right to not want anything to do with Shawn. Turner didn't know why Jacks mother left Chet and she could have had every reason to do so and to keep Jack away from Chet. Turner wasn't going to hold anyone responsible, but he also just couldn't let this go. He was going to be speaking to Jack one way or the other. He wasn't just going to let this go without trying himself first. Shawn deserved to have a family member in his life that wasn't dangerous or hurtful to him. Eddie was most likely in jail or on the run and his family even though his uncle had given him a job, they weren't there for him. Shawn needed someone in his family that would be a positive influence and maybe Jack wasn't that, but maybe he was. He didn't grow up with this family, in the trailer park and that lifestyle. There was a good chance that Jack had a good head on his shoulder and wasn't a criminal or a delinquent. Turner was going to try once and if Jack wanted nothing to do with Shawn than he would have to just accept that and let it go. Turner got up and grabbed the half empty food containers and the plates and brought them into the kitchen before he sat down on the couch to do some marking before he would go to bed. Tomorrow Turner would be looking up Jack's address to find him in New York City and paying him a visit. For tonight he would focus on his marking so tomorrow after work he could be taking a trip.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It wasn't until six thirty the next night did Turner pull up to the house in the suburbs of New York City. The house was a two storey house that sat on a decent amount of land, especially for New York City. It was easily a million dollar home, clearly Richard Conner was doing very well for himself as a lawyer. Turner had done some research on him and had found that he was one of the top criminal prosecutors in the city. He didn't work for the district attorney's office, but chose to have his own clients and help put criminals behind bars. He was a good man. Jack's mother, Heather, was a stay at home mom and was there for her son and her husband from the articles he had read. Jack was in the top of his class and was doing very well for himself. He was on the basketball team and had competed in academic competitions as well. He was a good young man that was looking forward to college or university. Turner was hoping that this would work out and that he could get Jack and Shawn to meet and maybe they could finally start to build a relationship, something they should have had this whole time. Turner had even brought a recent picture of Shawn just in case Jack wanted one. Turner took in a deep breath before he got out of his car and headed up towards the door of the house.

Turner rang the doorbell and just stood there waiting for someone to answer the door. After a moment Heather opened the door and was clearly confused as to why Turner would be standing there.

"Hello Heather Conner?" Turner asked with a friendly smile.

"Yes, how may I help you?" Heather asked politely, but was still clearly unsure of Turner.

"I'm Jonathan Turner, I'm a teacher at John Adams High. I was hoping I could speak to you and your husband for a moment please."

"What about?"

"About one of my students. It won't take long at all I promise." Turner said not wanting to mention Shawn's name as he didn't know how she would react to it.

"Very well, come in please." Heather said still not sure about any of this.

"Thank-you." Turner said with a warm smile as he walked inside the home.

"Follow me this way." Heather said as she made her way down the hallway and towards the dining room where Richard and Jack were sitting.

Turner walked into the dining room and saw Richard and Jack sitting down at the table both seemed to be working. They both looked up when they heard them enter and they both were confused as to who Turner was.

"Richard, this is Jonathan Turner a teacher at John Adams High. He says he needs to speak to us about one of his students." Heather said as she went over closer to the table and her husband.

Richard stood up and held his hand out as he spoke.

"Richard Conner."

Turner took his hand as he spoke. "Jonathan Turner, you can call me Jon."

"This is our son Jack." Richard said as he took his hand back.

"Hello Sir." Jack said with a smile as he got up and shock Turner's hand.

"Nice to meet you Jack." Turner said with a warm smile.

He could see the similarities between Jack and Shawn. They didn't look identical, but you could see it in their eyes and in their smile.

"You have a lovely home. I'm sorry to just show up like this unannounced."

"John Adams High, I don't know that one in New York." Richard said.

"It's in Philadelphia." Turner said.

"You came all this way from Philly. Wow that must be some student." Jack said with a smile.

"He really is. He's amazing. He's more than just a student to me, he's like a son. I love him very much and I am here hoping that something he used to dream about could maybe come true, at least partly." Turner said.

"You looking for a sponsorship?" Richard asked clearly used to people looking for money from him.

"Not at all. I'm here looking for answers, because he won't. I'm here about Shawn Hunter." Turner said as he looked at Richard and Heather.

"Who?" Jack asked confused.

"Jack why don't you go to your room please." Heather said.

"Why? Who is Shawn Hunter? Is he a relative of my biological father?"

"Son go into your room now please." Richard said.

"He doesn't know. You kept it from him. That's why Shawn never got any responses to the letters he sent." Turner said as he understood what was going on.

"What letters? What is he talking about? What have you kept from me?" Jack asked confused and annoyed now that no one was answering him.

"He doesn't need that negative influence and drama from that family." Heather said.

"What about what Shawn needed? He has the right to know about him. They both have the right to know each other. You can't just keep that from either of them. It should have been Jack's choice not yours." Turner said clearly angry at the situation.

"That man is dangerous. I was not going to have him around my family. I had to protect them. He was nothing more than a violent drunk. I got them away and as far from him as I could. I won't apologize for protecting my family." Richard said with anger.

"I have no problem with that. My problem is you ignored Shawn. You left him there on his own to deal with Chet and in turn you kept this huge piece of information from Jack. He sent letters from the age of seven until he was twelve, he sent one every single week and every week he would wait for a reply back. A reply that never came, but he still sent letters hoping that one day he would be good enough for Jack to come and see him. By protecting your son you helped to damage an innocent child that didn't deserve it." Turner said with anger and hurt in his voice.

"Would someone please just tell me who Shawn is? Why would someone I don't even know send me letters? And what letters I never got any." Jack said with anger now in his voice.

"We can't avoid it anymore Heather." Richard said gently to his wife.

"You're right, you're right. Why don't we go and sit down in the living room and we can talk about this." Heather suggested.

They all made their way into the living room and sat down. Turner sat down in one of the chairs while Jack sat in another by the couch where his parents were.

"Alright so who is Shawn?" Jack asked clearly losing patience.

"Shawn is your half-brother from Chet. He's two years younger than you." Heather said.

"A half-brother. I have a younger brother that you kept from me." Jack said trying to get his mind around this.

"You need to understand son that Chet he's not a good man. It was too dangerous to let you get close to him. We couldn't let you get hurt." Richard said.

"But you could let my brother be hurt? You said he's dangerous, you've always told me that you left because he was abusive to you. That you were afraid of what he would do to me one day. Why would you leave my brother there? How long have you known about him?"

"I found out through one of my old friends that still lived in the area at the time. I heard about it when he was an infant. At that point his mother was there living with Chet and I didn't think twice about it until nine years ago when the first letter came in. I never opened it or any of the letters that he sent every week. I just put them away in a shoebox and kept them in the closet." Heather explained.

"You didn't even look at them. What if he was asking me for help or something was wrong. You just kept this from me and ignored him. How could you do that to me?" Jack said with anger in his voice again.

"I had to protect you from Chet and keep you safe. You were my priority and not some child I would never meet. I won't feel bad or guilty for keeping you safe from that man." Heather said.

"Your mother told me about the letters and I told her to put them away, that maybe one day you would find out and you might want them. We were just trying to keep you safe. It was Shawn's mother's job to keep him safe. We weren't going to risk Chet finding you and trying to influence you." Richard said.

"But what about Shawn? Did his mom take him away?" Jack asked as he turned to look at Turner knowing that Turner was the one with the answer.

"She didn't. She left a number of times, but she left Shawn there with Chet. They moved into the trailer park and he has had a hard life. Almost two years ago his mother left for the last time and took the trailer with her. Chet left Shawn on the doorstep basically of his best friend's house for three weeks before he called and said he wasn't coming back. I took Shawn in and for a year he lived with me. He was doing really well then seven months ago Chet came back and Shawn moved in with him in a new trailer at the trailer park. For the past four months Shawn has been the one working thirty hours a week at a garage working on cars and during the day he is going to school full-time. Chet is unemployed and just drinks all day and night long. I can understand that you felt like you needed to keep Jack safe. I understand that. What I can't understand is how you ignore a seven year old's letters. Six years he sent a letter every week. What harm would it have really done if you had let Jack send a letter back? You didn't have to allow them to meet. You could have at least let them communicate with letters." Turner said.

"You had no right to keep this from me. He's been with Chet this whole time practically. He could have written something important to me. Even if you wouldn't have let me go to see him he could have known that someone was there for him that cared. You kept a brother from me. You knew I always wanted one and you kept my actual brother from me. I have a brother that I know nothing about. How did he even find out about me?" Jack asked Turner.

"He found your picture in a shoebox that was in the house. He found your address from newspaper articles." Turner answered.

"I can't believe this. I have a younger brother. What is he like?" Jack asked trying to get his mind around this.

"He's a good kid. He's had a hard life and had some problems from it. He's been arrested a few times and brought home by the cops a couple of times, but he's been really good in the past year. He is very talented with art. He sketches and takes photographs. He sells them on the street on some weekends and he's gotten a few photography jobs from it. He can play the guitar and has a great singing voice. He's focusing on getting his grades up right now to hopefully get an art scholarship so he can go to College when he graduates."

"And he's working as a mechanic?" Jack said.

"For his Uncle Mike. Sometimes he'll work all night long on a car that needs to get done. He's gone a couple of days straight without sleep just to be able to pay the bills and go to school full-time. He's also doing extra work to try and help his grades. He's working very hard to be able to survive and get out of that world."

"Why isn't he living with you then?" Jack asked.

"Because he feels that if he left Chet that he would just drink himself out of a home and eventually die. Shawn feels like he's responsible for Chet and if he left and Chet dies he would feel guilty and at fault for it." Turner explained.

"But it wouldn't be his fault." Jack said with strength in his voice.

"I know and I told him exactly that when he stayed at my place last night. But being told it and believing it are two different things. Right now he is just not willing to walk away yet and its not something anyone can force him to do." Turner explained sadly.

"He probably hates me right now." Jack said sadly.

"He doesn't. Part of him believes that he's done something wrong to make you not want anything to do with him. His self-esteem isn't very high normally. He's working on it and it is taking some time, but he is trying. Living with me for that year did help him a lot, but now he is back with Chet and working too many hours and going to school. He's exhausted in more ways than one. All he's ever wanted was a brother. He does has another older half-brother, you do as well, Eddie. But he's a criminal and most likely in jail. Shawn told me that he used to dream that one day you would come by and protect him, you'd keep him safe like an older brother is supposed to do."

"Protect him from what?" Jack asked with a sadness in his voice.

"He's had a hard life like I said. It's his story to tell not mine."

"And I have an older brother too?" Jack asked.

"Eddie, the first son of Chet at least I think. You all have different mothers. Shawn would be able to tell you more about him than me. I just know he was in a gang and stealing. Shawn doesn't have anything to do with him. I know this is a lot to drop onto you. I thought you knew about Shawn and the letters. I just had to come and speak to you myself. Shawn could really use a family member that isn't a criminal one that could be supportive of him and his decision to go to College and get out of that life. He's never stolen anything. The only times he's been arrested is from being caught sleeping in the park at night and that one time he stole my motorcycle, but he is a teenager." Turner said with a small smile.

"I stole my parents' car one night too. I didn't get caught by the police though." Jack said with a smirk of his own.

"And he never did it again." Richard said with a stern look.

"Shawn never did either. He's a good kid he really is and he's talented as hell. I brought a picture of him if you wanted it."

"Ya of course." Jack easily said.

Turner pulled out the photo of Shawn and Cory together last summer. He handed it over to Jack and Jack couldn't help but smile as he saw the picture.

"The one with the longer hair is Shawn. The other kid is Cory Matthews they have been best friends since they were six. I didn't know Shawn until Freshmen year. The Matthews have known Shawn for ten years. He's stayed at their place for the night a lot of times over the years. They're good people and have tried to be parents to him, but it's hard when it's not your kid and that kid has his own parents. They try though and Shawn does what he can to not let them down, to make them proud." Turner explained.

"He's a good looking guy." Jack said with a smile.

"He does not have any trouble finding a date that is for sure. Before when he wasn't working all the time he would have three or four dates on Saturday." Turner said with a smile.

"A little Casanova." Heather said with a small smile.

"He's very respectful and always a gentlemen. He cares a lot about family and he'll do anything for them as long as they are his true family." Turner said.

"Can I keep this?" Jack asked Turner referring to the photo.

"Ya of course. I should get going I'm sure you have a lot to discuss. I'm not looking to cause any problems for you. I just had to come down and find out why for myself. I know you don't like Chet, I don't either, but its not fair to Shawn to hold his father's actions against him. He's nothing like Chet and he could really use the positive affect that Jack could have on him. I'm hoping you will at least think about letting the two of them talk."

"Yes well we will talk about it and see." Richards said.

"I'll show you out." Heather said.

"There's no need I know the way to the door. Have a good night, it was nice meeting you Jack." Turner said as he stood up.

"Ya thanks you too." Jack said clearly distracted by all of the information he had just learnt.

Turner headed to the door and outside and made his way back to his car. He didn't know what was going to happen now, but at least he could say he tried. Turner was hoping that Jack would want to at least talk to Shawn and get to know him. Turner knew Shawn would really benefit from having someone like Jack in his life and hopefully they would be good for each other. Turner got into his car and headed back for the highway and the long drive ahead of him to get back to his apartment. Shawn was at the trailer park and Turner was hoping he was doing okay with being there and his father. Turner couldn't help but worry about him now knowing that his father was violent when he was drinking and not afraid to hit Shawn. Turner was truly hoping that Shawn would be back living with him where he belonged and was safe. Unfortunately all Turner could do was hope at this point until something changes.

Jack sat there staring at the photo of his younger brother and his best friend. Up until ten minutes ago he had no idea he even had a brother. He knew that Richard wasn't his biological father, it wasn't something they had ever tried to keep from him. Jack didn't remember anything about Chet and he had never had any interest in getting to know him either. To Jack his father was the man that raised him. The man that taught him how to shave and how to drive. The man that helped him with his homework and hugged him when he was hurt. Richard was his father and Chet was simply just the man that donated the sperm. He knew through his mother that Chet was an abusive drunk that had hurt her one too many times in her opinion. She had started to see Richard when Jack was only a little baby and with Richard's help they were able to get away from Chet and moved to New York City with him. Jack didn't mind at all and now they were a loving and happy family. Jack didn't think they had ever kept anything important from him, at least until now.

"Jack, Sweetie listen to me." Heather started, but Jack cut her off.

"How could you keep this from me? The both of you kept this from me for sixteen years. Sixteen years I missed out of knowing my little brother, for being there for him even if it was just a written letter every week. I could have seen him on his birthdays he could have come down for Christmas or over summer holidays. Sixteen years that I'll never get back, that we'll never get back. You wanted to protect me from Chet ok I get it, but what about Shawn? Dad, you told me that you loved being a prosecutor because if the good people in the world don't step up and protect those that need it then the world falls into chaos. Yet you turned away from Shawn, my little brother, he's a part of me and you left him there with someone you knew was dangerous and a drunk. How could you do that? How could both of you do that?" Jack said with hurt and anger in his voice.

"At first we were just scared that maybe Chet would find out where we lived and he would come to us trying to get money from us or to take you. We didn't want you being influenced by him, we were only thinking about you and your safety and not Shawn. We left that up to his mother. We had no idea that his life would have been hard and I feel terrible about that, but I can't change the past." Heather said with remorse in her voice.

"We're you ever going to tell me? Is this why you didn't want me to go to Pennbrook? You were worried I would run into him somewhere." Jack accused.

"No we were worried you would run into Chet and that half of the family. We had no idea that Chet had another son before you we swear. We wanted you closer to home where we could be there for you and keep an eye on you." Heather said.

"You can't keep an eye on me all the time at some point you have to learn to trust me and my judgement. I didn't know which school I wanted to go to between Pennbrook and NYU, but now I do. I'm going to accept their offer at Pennbrook and I'm going to meet my little brother and be in his life. He's not some criminal, he's trying to better himself and make a life for himself. He's working full-time practically plus school and extra work to make up for marks all so he can get a scholarship. He deserves my support and he deserves to have an older brother in his life, he's only been waiting for me to see him for nine years. He sent a letter every week to me for six years that's two hundred and eighty-eight letters he took the time to sit down and write. He didn't deserve this, I didn't deserve this."

"We were just trying to protect you." Richard said.

"I get that, really I do. But in doing so you put Shawn at risk, my little brother. You should have gone down there and found him the second you knew about him and if not then when he letters first started to come in. Did you even open it to see if he was writing for help?"

"We never opened them. I just kept them all in a shoebox in order just in case one day you found out. I don't know if we were ever going to tell you." Heather admitted.

"Son, I know you are upset but don't go making life plans while you are feeling like this. NYU is a great school and you were accepted into the engineering program. You can't just throw that away because you feel obligated to Shawn. Being blood related doesn't make you family." Richard said calmly.

"I know it doesn't, but that doesn't mean I don't try. I'm going to read his letters and then I am going to see him. If you both don't like that then I'm sorry, but I'm eighteen now I can drive down there and see him whether I have your permission or not. And that is exactly what I am going to do tomorrow after school. I need to see him and he deserves for me to show up. Where are the letters?"

"We clearly can't change your mind on this and maybe we don't have that right to. I'll grab them for you." Heather said as she got up from the couch to head up the stairs to get the shoebox.

Jack stood up as well as Richard spoke.

"We love you Son and we just wanted to keep you safe. Being a parent is never easy and that is something you will understand when you have your own children and have to make difficult decisions that they might not agree with."

"I get difficult decisions Dad I do, but this wasn't one of them. You could have protected us from Chet. You chose to take the easy way out this time around and I can't be proud of you for that. I won't take the easy way out. I won't leave my little brother, half-brother or not, I won't leave him alone to deal with it all. He had friends and I'm glad that he does, but he also needs family and someone to be there to keep an eye on him. I'm not abandoning him. I refuse to." Jack said before he turned to head up the stairs.

He got to the top and Heather was just walking down the hallway with a shoebox in her hands. She handed it to Jack as she spoke.

"That is all of them. They are in order like I said."

"Thanks. I'll be in my room." Jack said as he turned to head down the hallway to his room for the night.

Jack went into his room and closed his door behind him. He clicked on his bedroom light before he went over to his bed and sat down. He placed the photo down on the bed next to him before he opened the lid on the shoebox and took in all of the letters that filled it. They were all neatly placed inside so they wouldn't get out of order or damaged. Jack knew he was in for a long night, but he wasn't going to bed until he read every single one of these letters. They were written by his brother and he was going to read them all. Jack pulled out the first one and he opened the old envelope and took out the letter. It was written on some scrap paper it looked like, like Shawn had just grabbed whatever he could find that would work. It wasn't very long, but it was a good half page in length and the writing seemed to be a little messy even though he was seven when he wrote it. Almost like no one cared enough to teach Shawn how to write properly. Jack could still read it though and for that he was grateful for.

 _Deer Jack_

 _You dont no me but im your brother Shawn. I dont want nuffing from you just wantted two say hi maybe you dont no that you have a brother or maybe you dont want one. Im seven and just found out bout you I dont think im supposed two no but mom took off again and dad locked me in that closet and all I had two do is go threw that shoebox and there your pixture was. I dont want nuffin I swear I just wantted two no you you propably dont want any thing two do wit me just thought id try. Were movin two a trailer park next week the kids at skewl all ready dont talk two me now itll get worse I dont need friends any ways I got Cory hes my best friend he lives in a house that is warm and wit food he has a weird life his house doesnt even have wheels on it I wonder wat that would be like. Do you have a house wit wheels on it two? Is it fance in new york? I hope you right me itd be nice two have some one two talk two. Sorry bout the messy writting and spelling it hasnt been the same since dad hit me and I fell down those stairs. Maybe once my head stops hurtin itll go back two normal. It was my fault I no better than two spill his beer I hope you right me back it gets lonely here._

 _Your brother Shawn._

Jack let out a shaky breath at the end of reading the letter. He didn't even know what he was feeling in that moment. The fact that Shawn found out about him from going through a shoebox that was in the closet he was locked inside for who knows how long. Or the fact that his writing and spelling was so bad because he fell down the stairs after being hit by Chet. Jack knew that Shawn could have gotten seriously hurt and it was affecting his writing. All because he accidently spilt Chet's beer. Jack knew that Turner had said Shawn had a hard life, but he didn't expect this at all. Jack forced himself to put the letter down and pick up the next one. He was going to read them all until he had read them all.

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It was four o'clock when Jack pulled up in front of the trailer where Shawn lived. He didn't end up going to school today as he was up until five in the morning reading Shawn's letters. He had finally read through all of them and each one was more upsetting than the next. After a few years Shawn stopped talking about the abuse he was going through and seemed to talk more about his life at school or about Cory. Around the age of eleven it was clear that Shawn had figured out that his normal life wasn't as normal as he had thought it was. What was the most upsetting to Jack was the very last letter that Shawn had written to him. Jack could still remember it exactly as he had spent an hour reading it over and over again.

 _Dear Jack_

 _It's been six years that I have writen to you and you've never writen back I can take a hint ill stop writting you. Im not mad I get it I would'nt want any thing to do with this family either these letters are probably annoying to you. Im sorry ive bothered you for this long sometimes its hard to let a dream go but its cool I get it maybe one day ill get to see you and maybe then youll want to talk to me and we could hang out assuming I see eighteen. I hope you have a good life I mean that im not just saying it this life sucks I would'nt wish it on any one. I promise I wont write any more im sorry for bothering you all these years._

 _Goodbye._

Shawn's writing had gotten better over the course of the letters and it wasn't as messy as it was. Jack didn't know what had happened to Shawn's brain, but the letters when he was seven for a few months talked about how his head still hurt. Jack wasn't a doctor but he knew that meant that Shawn had some kind of injury to his brain. Jack was hoping that it had gotten better and that it wasn't something he was still struggling with. Jack had finally gone to bed at six that morning after telling his parents that morning that he would be staying home today as he didn't have much going on at school anyways and he would be coming down here. They weren't too happy with him wanting to go alone, but they also knew he was old enough to make his own decisions and they couldn't stop him. Jack had slept until noon before he got up and got something to eat before he got ready and headed out on the road. Now it was just after four and Jack had finally arrived at the trailer that Shawn was living in. He wanted to go right in there and give Chet a piece of his mind. He wanted to bring Shawn back with him so he would be looked after properly and would be safe, but he knew he couldn't do that. He had to respect Shawn's decision to stay here and look after his father. He couldn't just make Shawn leave, maybe when he was younger he would have been able to, but now Shawn was sixteen and had his own life. All Jack could do was be there for Shawn and try to help him stay on the right path.

Jack got out of his car and made sure it was locked before he went up to the door. He knocked on it and waited to see if someone would answer it. After a minute Jack heard the lock opening and the door opened to reveal Shawn on the other side. Jack couldn't seem to find his voice as he saw just how exhausted Shawn looked. The very deep black eye that looked partly swollen and very painful stood out even more to Jack. He couldn't help but wonder if Chet was the one that gave it to him or if he got it from someone else in the trailer park.

"Hey I'm ah."

"You're Jack. What are you doing here?" Shawn asked calmly, but Jack could hear the shock in his voice.

"I just found out about you last night. My parents never told me, they never gave me any of the letters you sent. Your teacher, Mr. Turner he came by last night and wanted to know why I hadn't sent any letters back to you. I just got them last night. I spent the whole night reading them all and I needed to come down and see you. I'm sorry I would have come sooner if I had gotten the letters. I would have come." Jack said honestly.

"Do you want to come in?" Shawn asked.

"Ya." Jack easily said.

Shawn moved back from the door and Jack walked into the trailer. Shawn closed and locked the door before he went back over to the small table where he had his extra credit project for Turner sitting on the table. Jack went over and looked down and he was amazed at the hand drawn pictures of the past presidents.

"Did you draw these?" Jack asked as he looked over to Shawn who was packing things up.

"Oh ah ya it's for Jon, Turner, he's my Social Studies and English teacher this year. I'm not doing too great in his Social Studies class so he's letting me do this mural of the past presidents. I thought I would do it with their faces and their birth and death dates under them all with the back as the American flag light in the background. He's gonna give me an extra twenty percent if I do a good job and I need the marks." Shawn said as he continued to clean up knowing that he would need to leave soon.

"Shawn this is amazing. I can't barely draw stick people. You got a serious talent here man." Jack said with a smile.

"Thanks. I used to draw all the time growing up, but I never told anyone or showed anyone. I didn't think I would be able to get money for any of it. Now I'm working towards an art scholarship."

"You are definitely talented enough to get one. That's awesome man don't ever let anyone tell you to give up. You have natural talent that artists would kill to have."

"Thanks."

"What other courses do you have this year? You're in second year?"

"Ya and I have History and Photography. I'm drowning in History, but my teacher Mr. Feeney he is letting me do all of these extra credit work for five percent. It's not much but it helps."

"Are you as good with a camera as you are with a pencil?"

"Ya I am. I've gotten a few photography jobs in the past six months. It's not much but every little bit helps. You're graduating this year right?"

"I am. It seems like just yesterday I was just starting my first day of high school and now I'll be graduating in a couple of months."

"Must be nice. Are you going to College afterwards?"

"Ya I got into Pennbrook for the engineering program. Come the summer I'm going to be coming down here and getting a place. I'll have to find a roommate or two depending on the place but it'll be good to be in College and working towards what I want to do for the rest of my life."

"Congratulations. Are you looking to see anyone else in the family?"

"You mean Chet? No I only came down to see you. I know it might not sound nice, but my dad is the man that raised me. I don't know Chet only what my mom has talked about before and it was never anything good about him. I'm sorry if that bothers you or upsets you it's just I can't have feelings for him not after everything I know."

"No I get that. He's my father, but he's not my dad he's never really been. It's okay though I kinda got like three parents in my life." Shawn said with a small smile.

"Mr. Turner is one of them right?"

"Ya he is. He's someone I would consider to be my dad. I got two dads and a mom. The Matthews they have been like my parents growing up. I've known them since I was six when me and Cory became best friends. They never questioned me whenever I would sneak in at night through Cory's bedroom window, why I was there in the morning already. Whenever I show up they treat me like one of their own. Amy would bring me by some homemade soup when she knew I was sick. Alan taught me how to ride a bike when I was eight. They're amazing people."

"They sound like it. I'm glad you had someone in your life that was looking out for you. I'm sorry I didn't get your letters I would have been here for you."

"It's okay it's not your fault. I was never mad about it. I didn't know Jon was going to go to New York though I'm sorry if that caused you any problems."

"No it didn't. My parents know they made a huge mistake. I'm just mad that we lost out on so much time."

The front door opened and Jack turned to see who was coming in. Shawn already knew so he just went and put his work away and placed it in the cupboard where he knew it would be safe. Chet came stumbling in with a couple of friends equally as drunk. Chet closed the door and he swayed as he did so.

"Well what do we got here? Look at that boys I got myself a little family reunion going on here." Chet said with a slurred and a smile.

"We're not really family." Jack automatically said.

"Hey that's no way to talk to your old man now. Didn't that rich bastard and whore of a mother teach you any manners?" Chet said with anger and Shawn knew that tonight was going to be a bad night.

"What did you just say to me?" Jack said with his own anger right back.

"This another one of your worthless sons?" One of the men said to Chet.

"Can't be any worse than my worthless and ungrateful boy over there." Chet said.

"You gotta learn your place here." The second friend said as he looked at Jack.

"He insults my parents and you expect me to do what exactly? Just stand here and not say anything?" Jack said with anger.

"I'm your dad not that lying bastard. Thinks he had money and he can just come in and take anything he wants, takes my woman and my son. Bastard is lucky he got out of town before I got my hands on him." Chet said.

"Look Dad Jack isn't here to cause any problems he just came down to see me. We were just heading out." Shawn said trying to calm his dad down knowing that at the level of drunk he was he could become violent very easily and with two friends it didn't look good.

"Fellas give me a second here with my boys. Seems like we need to have a conversation." Chet said.

The two men just grunted before they turned and headed out of the trailer.

"And how would you know you have a brother?" Chet asked Shawn and Shawn could see the anger in him.

"I've known since I was seven. Jack just found out last night and he came down to see me." Shawn said leaving out the part where he wrote Jack knowing that Chet wouldn't like it.

"And you didn't think to let me know?"

"I didn't know how you would feel about it. You never talked about him and I wasn't seeing him so it didn't seem important is all." Shawn said calmly hoping to calm his dad down so they could get out of there.

Chet came over to Shawn and he pushed him back so hard he went into the dining room chair and it fell over and Shawn went down with it. He landed on his back and the back of his head banged hard against the cement floor.

"You don't get to tell me what is important in my house." Chet said as he pushed Shawn down.

Jack went over and shoved Chet back away from Shawn as he snapped back.

"Don't you dare put your hands on him."

"You don't tell me what to do boy." Chet said with a deadly warning in his voice.

"I'm not just going to stand here and let you hurt him." Jack said back with anger dripping from his voice.

Shawn got up off the floor and went over to Jack as Chet let out a yell and he picked up an empty bottle of whiskey and threw it against the wall right by their heads. It smashed on impact and Shawn and Jack both flinched away. Chet continued to throw bottles and he flipped over the dinning room table. Shawn was thankful that he had picked up his mural so it was safe and not destroyed on him. After five minutes of destroying the place Chet ran out of energy and he stood there huffing. Shawn knew that normally it would have been him that all of that energy was directed towards, but with Jack here Chet seemed to be unable to take that anger out on him.

"This place better be spotless by the time I get back and you." Chet said as he pointed to Jack. "You better be far away from here boy." Chet said in a deadly huffed voice before he turned and headed out the front door slamming it behind him.

Shawn let out a shaky breath just being happy that his father was gone and he wouldn't have to worry about getting hit. Jack turned around to look at Shawn.

"Are you okay? How's your head you hit it pretty hard." Jack said with concern.

"I'm fine." Shawn said as he went and picked up the table. Jack went and picked up the chairs as he spoke.

"Is he always like that?"

"Not always, sometimes. It's not a big deal." Shawn said as he headed over to grab the broom to sweep up the glass before he could get out of here.

"You shouldn't have to deal with this though. Did he give you that black eye?" Jack said with anger.

"It's nothing." Shawn said as he started to sweep up the glass.

"Being pushed around and black eyes is not nothing Shawn. You shouldn't be putting up with this." Jack said trying not to push Shawn on the subject.

"It's fine. I'm staying with Jon on the weekends and most nights I'm working and I won't be home until he's asleep." Shawn said as he swept.

"You shouldn't have to be living like this." Jack said sadly.

"This is the only life I know. I can't just leave him to drink himself to death out in some alley."

"Ok I can understand that, but what about when you graduate? You said you want to go to College are you going to live here then too? For how long do you take responsibility for him Shawn?" Jack asked calmly as he picked up the bigger pieces of glass to put in the garbage.

"I don't know. He could be sober and back to working by then. Besides that's assuming I can even get a scholarship without it I won't be able to go. No one will give me a student loan with my name. No scholarship, no college for me. It's why I'm working so hard to get my grades up and I'm working at Uncle Mike's garage to try and save up as much as I can to help cover the rest of the cost. All I can do is try and if I get into College I'll have to figure it out then." Shawn said with a shrug and it was clear he didn't know what to do about Chet and what would happen if he was accepted into College.

"You'll get in. Anyone would be crazy not to give you that scholarship. You're gonna get out of here and I hope you never look back." Jack said sincerely.

"Maybe." Shawn said as he picked up the last of the glass and dumped the pieces into the garbage.

"You shouldn't be here tonight." Jack said with worry.

"Cory invited me over for dinner tonight and do some homework. I was going to go over there tonight anyways. I can crash there. Do you want to come for dinner you could meet them. You don't have to I would understand that you'd have to drive back to New York."

"I'd love to meet them. Are you sure it would be okay for me to come?"

"Ya they'll be cool with it."

"Alright well let's get out of here before Chet comes back."

"I just need to grab my book bag. Did you take the bus here?" Shawn asked as he went over and grabbed his book bag.

"No I drove. I can drive us over if you don't mind giving me directions as we go."

"That I can do." Shawn said as he put his coat on and grabbed his book bag.

They both headed out of the trailer and Shawn locked the door. They got into Jack's car and they headed out towards the Matthews' house. The car ride was a little awkward as the silence in the car was tense. Shawn made sure he gave Jack the fastest way to get to the Matthews' house as it would be nice to have someone else there as a buffer between the two new brothers. What happened with Chet had put this tension between them as Jack didn't know what to say to Shawn and Shawn didn't know how to reassure Jack that he would be alright. When they finally made it to the Matthews' house Jack parked and they headed around to the backdoor. Shawn knocked before he walked in and saw that Eric, Cory and Alan were sitting at the table and Amy was in the kitchen working on dinner. They all looked over at Shawn and gave him a smile.

"Hey Shawny my boy, I was starting to think you weren't going to be coming." Cory said with a smile.

"Oh my goodness sweetie your eye. Cory said you hurt it, but I didn't think it was that bad." Amy said as she went over to Shawn to get a better look.

"It looks worse than it is. I'm ok Mrs. Matthews."

"How did you get hurt Shawn?" Alan asked with a slight anger in his voice.

"Do you want some medicine to help with any pain?" Amy asked before Shawn could answer Alan.

"I'm okay it doesn't hurt unless I touch it. And I got it from breaking up a fight in the trailer park. Its fine really I iced it the other night after I got it. This is Jack he's my um." Shawn said not really sure if Jack wanted anyone to know about being brothers or not

"I'm his older brother." Jack said with a smile.

"Oh I had no idea you had another brother Shawn." Cory said with a smile.

"I just found out that I had a brother last night actually. It's a bit of a story." Jack said with a sad smile.

"I hope it's okay that I brought him with me tonight." Shawn said to Alan and Amy.

"Of course it is. I'm Amy Matthews and that is my husband Alan and our oldest son Eric and that is Cory our youngest son. We also have a daughter Morgan who is the youngest but she is over at a friend's house for dinner tonight." Amy said as she held her hand out to shake Jack's and explain who everyone was.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all." Jack said as he shook Amy's hand.

"I hope you like spaghetti." Amy said with a smile.

"I love it." Jack said back with a smile of his own.

"Well you both have perfect timing as it's time for dinner. Eric come set the table and Cory put your homework away you can work on it more after dinner." Amy said as she went to grab the plates.

Shawn removed his jacket and hung it up and Jack did the same. They all got the table set up for dinner and they all sat down. Shawn sat next to Cory and with Jack on the right side of him. Once they all had food Cory spoke.

"So what's the story between you two? You just randomly found out you have a brother?" Cory asked with a smile.

"I've known since I was seven when I found Jack's picture in an old shoebox. I found articles about his father who is a prosecutor in New York City. I wrote him letters once a week for six years but I never heard back from him. I just assumed he didn't want anything to do with me. Turns out he never got them. I told Jon Monday night about Jack." Shawn started.

"Mr. Turner showed up at my house last night wanting to know why I had never written Shawn back. I didn't even know he existed my parents kept it from me. My mom kept all of the letters in a shoebox in her closet. She gave them to me last night and I was up until five in the morning reading them all. I skipped school and drove up here to meet Shawn." Jack said.

"That must have been very difficult for you last night." Amy said sympathetically.

"It was unexpecting and a little hard to get my head around. I'm eighteen and I've always wanted a brother. To find out that my parents kept Shawn from me for sixteen years is upsetting. It makes me mad to think about all of those years we lost out on that we could have had." Jack said.

"Why did they keep it from you?" Eric asked.

"There were some hard feelings between my mom and Chet that she wasn't sure it would be a good idea for me to be connected to that half. I told them I was going to come and see Shawn and be in his life. I'm just glad he let me inside and didn't slam the door in my face." Jack said with a warm smile to Shawn.

"It's not really my style." Shawn said with a small smile back.

"So Jack tell us about yourself." Alan said slightly guarded as he didn't want Shawn hurt by family any more than he already was.

"I'm in my Senior year. I'm on the basketball team we made it to the Playoffs this year." Jack started.

"Oh you play basketball? That's nice the boys are always playing with Alan out in the driveway." Amy said with a smile.

"Ya I saw the hoop me and my dad still play every weekend together. Sometimes my mom has to come out to drag us back inside." Jack said with a smile.

"I've done that before. The boys all love to play on the weekends together." Amy said with a smile.

"Are you going to college in New York next year?" Alan asked.

"I did get accepted into NYU, but I'm going to be going to Pennbrook for the engineering program. So come summer I'll be looking for a place to rent and a roommate or two." Jack answered.

"I applied to Pennbrook I haven't heard back yet." Eric said.

"Oh cool." Jack said.

"You don't want to be living in the dorms?" Cory asked.

"I could, but I'd rather just find my own apartment so I can be there for the next four years. Only first years gets a guarantee spot in the dorms so I might have to find an apartment in second year anyways. I'd rather just do it from the start. And if I can find a good roommate or two then we can all be there for the next four years or longer if we wanted." Jack answered.

"That makes sense. It's sometimes better to do it that way and build friendships with your roommates than to be stuck in the dorms and not like your roommate. It's almost the same price each month as well depending on the apartment." Alan said.

"Exactly. I figured I would find one in a good area close to the school so I won't be too far if I have an early or late class. I'm looking forward to it. It'll be some work getting it situated and settled in, but it'll be good to be out on my own and going to college."

"Your parents must be proud of you." Amy said with a smile.

"They are." Jack said humbly.

"Shawn, you never told us how those photos turned out." Amy said.

"They turned out great. Glen really liked them. I had to take photos for extra credit at a renaissance fair Glen was the head photographer." Shawn said to Jack.

"Oh that's cool. There is a lot of great opportunities for photography now a days." Jack said hoping it came across as supportive.

"He actually offered me the chance to go out on a job with him next month. He wants to see how I interact with his crew. If it goes well he wants me to work with him full-time in the summer." Shawn said.

"That's great Shawn." Alan said with a smile.

"Ya if it works out all I can do is my best and see if it's enough. Glen is even going to Paris this summer for a client that I would get to go with him. That would be really cool to go and do." Shawn said with a smile.

"Paris wow Shawn that would be awesome." Cory said.

"That would be amazing for you to experience. A wonderful learning opportunity for you." Amy said.

"Ya I'm excited about it, but I'm not going to get my hopes up just yet. I still have to meet with his crew and work well with them. I'll do my best and see where it goes from there." Shawn said.

"It's important to be realistic and level headed, but don't ever stop dreaming either Shawn. You have a serious talent with a camera don't ever doubt that. Just go in and be yourself and willing to learn and you will do amazing." Alan said.

"Thanks Mr. Matthews."

"So you've all known Shawn since he was six?" Jack asked.

"Yup we've been best friends since he saved me from the lama pit on a school field trip to the zoo." Cory said with a smile.

"Cory brought Shawn home that night to show up the brave hero that saved him from the deadly lamas." Amy said with a smile that Jack couldn't help but smile back.

"I remember seeing Shawn he had this little black leather jacket on even at six." Eric said with a smirk.

"Leather jacket nice." Jack said with a smile.

"I like my leather jacket." Shawn said with a smile.

"It suits you. I remember wearing it a few times and people would look at me like I was crazy. Maybe it's the hair." Cory said.

"I remember when you tried to straighten your hair back in grade seven." Shawn said with a chuckle.

"Really? Is that even possible?" Jack asked.

"It wasn't, but it was funny as heck watching it play out." Eric said with a huge smile.

"It made it really frizzy kinda like an afro for a few days. Now I just accept that it's my hair and part of who I am. Besides Topanga loves it." Cory said.

"Topanga?" Jack asked.

"He's wife." Shawn said with a smirk.

"Since they were six." Eric added.

"The three of us have known each other since we were six, Cory and Topanga knew each other since they were toddlers. Officially they started dating a couple of years ago." Shawn said.

"But we like to say that we fell in love in the sandbox. She's amazing and she knows everything." Cory said.

"She's a very smart young woman and a great friend." Amy said lovingly.

"She is amazing. She brought me this special cream to help my eye heal better today in school. She's awesome." Shawn said.

"It's important to have good friends in life. I have a lot of friends, but I can't say I have any really good friends that I would miss when I go to College. I definitely don't have any that I grew up with from six years old. You guys are really lucky you have the three of you. That's the one thing I really am hoping to happen with college, I can find some good lifetime friends." Jack said.

"I'm sure you will. College is excellent for finding good friends that you can experience life with. College is a much different environment than high school and it's very important for each person to experience. You'll be able to discover who you are and who you truly aren't through college. It's something everyone should get to experience in their life." Amy said.

"I hope so." Jack said.

"Hey is it cool if I crash here tonight?" Shawn asked.

"You know you are always welcome to Shawn." Alan said.

"I did the laundry today and some of your clothes were in it. I put them in Cory and Eric's room." Amy said with a smile.

"Thanks." Shawn said with a smile.

They spent the next few hours eating dinner and Jack stayed to help Cory and Shawn with their English homework. They were reading a book that Jack had read and knew it was a little confusing with the complicated plotline. Once it was eight Jack headed out to head back to New York City as he had a two hour drive ahead of him and he had school tomorrow. Shawn walked out with Jack so he could say goodbye to him. They got to Jack's car and Jack spoke.

"It was good meeting you Shawn. I'm sorry we didn't get to do this before."

"It's not your fault."

"Do you have a phone?"

"No it doesn't work right now."

"Well can I write to you? I could send it to here or to Mr. Turner's place if it would be better than the trailer."

"Ya we can write. Um do you have a pen I can give you Jon's address."

Jack opened his car door and pulled out a pad and a pen. He handed it to Shawn and Shawn wrote the address down for Jack before he handed it back to Jack.

"Thanks I'll write you and you can write me back. Do you work every weekend?"

"Mostly I tend to work from ten till five or six on weekends."

"Maybe I could come down this Saturday and we could have dinner and hang out for a bit." Jack suggested.

"Ya sure we can do that. I work till five this Saturday Jon normally picks me up. I could meet you at his place for five thirty."

"Sounds good. I'll see you on Saturday then. Here's the house number in case something happens and you need to get a hold of me." Jack said as he wrote the number down before he ripped the piece of paper and handed it to Shawn.

Shawn took it as he spoke. "Thanks. I'm fine ya know. I'll be here tonight and tomorrow I'll be in school and then at work. You don't have to worry."

"They don't know. Why didn't you ever tell them?" Jack asked calmly.

"They would worry about me and I don't want that for them. They already worry enough and they just think my father is neglectful. It's not fair to them to have to carry that burden and worry. The only reason you know is because I was young when I wrote to you and I didn't even know it was wrong. If you didn't read it in my letters I wouldn't have told you."

"I'm glad I do know. I don't want you thinking that's why I'm here. Even if I didn't know I would have still came to see you and want to get to know you. I've always wanted a brother."

"All I ever wanted was a brother too."

"Well you got one now and I'm not going anywhere. Be safe okay." Jack said with strength and worry.

"I will be. Drive safe."

"Always. I'll see you Saturday." Jack said before he pulled Shawn into a hug and Shawn hugged him back before they pulled away.

Shawn stepped back and Jack got into his car. Shawn watched as Jack pulled out of the driveway and back onto the street. Shawn then went back inside so he could work on his homework a little bit longer before they would be going to bed. Tomorrow he had school and then work but he was feeling pretty good that he finally got to meet his brother and that Jack wanted something to do with him. He would get to spend more time with him on Saturday night and Shawn was hoping that it would continue to go well.

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The next morning just before school would start Shawn headed into his homeroom where he knew Turner would be getting ready for classes. He wanted to talk to him real quick before school would start about Jack. He had no idea that Turner was going to be speaking to Jack and his parents and normally Shawn would be upset that Turner had gotten involved, but right now he was happy that he did. Shawn walked into the room and saw Turner sitting down at his desk going through some papers. He looked up when he heard someone walking into the room and smiled at Shawn.

"Morning Shawn, how are you doing?"

"I'm doing good actually. Jack came by yesterday after school." Shawn said with a smile as he sat down on the edge of the desk in the front row.

"Did he now?" Turner asked with a smile of his own.

"He did. He told me how you came down to his house and wanted to know why he didn't send me any letters back. He explained the whole thing to me."

"Look Shawn I'm sorry for getting involved, but I just couldn't let it go without trying to reach them." Turner automatically said.

"I know you did it because you care and I'm glad you did. You did what I was too afraid to do. He told me how he didn't even know I existed and he didn't get my letters until last night. He stayed up until five in the morning reading them and then he came down here today to see me. We actually went over to the Matthews and had dinner and I crashed there last night. He helped Cor and me with our English homework before he headed back to New York. It was really good." Shawn said with a smile, one of the first smiles Turner had seen on Shawn in the past three weeks.

"Good I'm glad it went well. I'm sorry I didn't tell you I was going there, but I thought it would be better to stay quiet that way if Jack didn't want to see you it wouldn't have gotten your hopes up. Do you think you'll see him again?"

"He's coming down Saturday after I'm off work. He wants to do dinner I gave him your address I hopes ok."

"Of course it is. The three of us could go to dinner somewhere or I could make something." Turner suggested.

"Maybe dinner in would be good. We could talk and hang out without a lot of noise. He's also going to write me a letter and we can write back and forth since I don't have a house phone right now. He did give me his phone number though just in case I needed it. It was really good."

"I'm happy for you Shawn. I'm very happy that you got to meet Jack and he seems like a good young man with a good head on his shoulders. Did he meet Chet?"

"He did for a few minutes. He came home drunk with two friends. He wasn't too happy when Jack wasn't happy to see him or when he talked back. He sent his friends outside while he destroyed the living area before he left. We cleaned it up and then headed for the Matthews for dinner."

"Well I'm glad you were safe last night, but I'm not happy that Chet was getting violent again. If Jack wasn't there he might have taken it out on you in a different way. I don't like this Shawn he could get worse and not better." Turner said with concern.

"I know. Jack actually made a good point last night. He asked what I was going to when I go to College. If I was going to be living there still trying to make it work if he is still drinking."

"I valid question, what was your answer?"

"I told him I didn't know and I don't. I might not get that scholarship and if I don't, I won't be able to go to College. No one will give me a student loan not with the way my father has ruined my credit by putting my name down on credit cards or bills that wouldn't accept him any longer. I'd have to fight them all in court that it was fraud and I'm a minor money I don't have to use for something like that. No scholarship, no college for me. It's still two years away and anything could happen between now and then so I guess I'll figure it out if I get to go to college." Shawn said with a shrug.

"First of all, you are going to college scholarship or not you are going. We will figure it out no matter what. Second of all, you need to be prepared for the chance that Chet doesn't quit drinking, that he gets worse. I know you don't want to walk away and leave him on his own, but you need to start getting yourself ready for the chance that you might have to."

"I know Jon. I know he's not going to change and it's stupid for me to still have a small part of me hope that he will just wake up one day and realise what he's done to me. I know he won't and I know that one day I might have to walk away. I just can't do that just yet." Shawn said sadly.

"I know and I'm not making you walk away not until I think it's too dangerous for you to be there. And it's not stupid to hope that someone who is supposed to be your dad is there for you. It's natural for you to want him to see the error of his ways and smarten up for you. You know I'm here for you no matter what Shawn and I always will be."

"I know you are. I really appreciate it and thank-you for not letting this go and speaking to Jack. I don't know what will come out of that relationship, but it feels good to try and he's going to Pennbrook in the Fall so he'll be down this way come the summer."

"That's good Shawn. Hopefully the two of you can build a relationship and be there for each other. I know you have Cory and Eric and they are like brothers to you, but it's good that you can have a positive relationship with someone that shares the same blood as you. I'm proud of you for trying and not holding it against him."

"It's not his fault he didn't get the letters and even if he did I wouldn't have bene mad. It's his right to know me or not I can't be mad at him for not caring about a complete stranger. If there is one thing I have learnt it's that blood doesn't always make you family. I'll see how it goes and if we have a brother relationship or not at least we tried."

"I'm proud of you for trying and doing your homework. I know that book is difficult I hate that the school board makes you guys read it."

"Ya it's too bad we can't just read comic books all the time." Shawn said with a smile.

"I wish it would make marking the reports so much more fun and enjoyable. You'll like the next book it's a poetry book assignment. I thought after this one everyone could use the mind break." Turner said with a smile.

"Definitely that book was brutal to figure out. Thankfully Jack had read it before and was able to help us understand it. If not we would have needed to have a long conversation on it."

"One I would have been happy to have and then get drunk afterwards." Turner joked.

"I've never seen you drunk. I've only seen you have a beer or a glass of wine every now and then."

"I don't drink often and I don't think I've been drunk in the past five years. It's just not me or my thing."

"I don't think I'll ever drink. It just doesn't seem worth it to me, the risk of what I could do while drunk. I don't know why people waste their money on it." Shawn said honestly.

"I don't either. Not all people are violent when they drink, but with your family being alcoholics you not drinking wouldn't be a bad thing Shawn."

"I think so too. I don't need to drink to have fun."

"No you don't and I'm proud of you for not wanting to risk it." Turner said with a warm smile

The bell rang and Shawn spoke.

"And so it begins."

"At least it's Thursday." Turner said with a smile.

"That is true." Shawn went and took his seat as Cory and Topanga came into the room with the other students.

Shawn knew he still had a long couple of days ahead of him before Saturday night when Jack would be back down. For right now though he was happy that he got to finally meet his other older brother and that Jack wants something to do with him. Now he just needed to keep focused and working towards his scholarship so he could get out of the trailer park and make something of himself and prove everyone that thought he would be nothing wrong. Shawn opened his binder and turned his attention to Turner as he started the lesson.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Warnings: Mentions of child abuse**_

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Chapter 3

It was Saturday at five o'clock when Shawn walked out of the garage finally. He was exhausted as he had to work for the past twenty-four hours straight thanks to Chet finding his hidden stash of money to pay the property taxes with. He had been saving up his money from working at the garage, the money he got from photography jobs and selling his pictures on the street. He had been able to save up in the past four months six hundred dollars and that was going towards the property taxes that were two grand that were due next month. Now that Chet had stolen it from him he had to try and come up with that money all over again all within the next month plus rent and utilities. He needed that six hundred dollars so he could be able to afford it all and now he was back down to zero. He had worked twenty-four hours straight at the garage and tomorrow he would have to be back there again at ten to work all day again. He would also have to work all week at the garage as well and just hope he could make enough money to cover everything. He would also have to try and get more photography jobs from working the street to see if he could make more money. He was able to get three hundred from working at the garage, it wasn't much considering how many hours he worked, but he only got paid a percentage of the price Uncle Mike charged for the work on the car. Shawn only gets paid five percent so if there isn't a big and expensive job for the car he didn't get much money for the amount of work he does.

The only thing keeping Shawn up right was knowing that tonight he would be able to sleep in a bed safely at Jon's place. He was also going to get to see Jack tonight and have something real to eat. He had been eating out of the vending machine on his break, but he didn't have much money so in the past twenty-four hours he's only had two small bags of chips and a coke. He was starving and exhausted and just wanted to sit down and not get up. Shawn didn't even want to think about the fact that he had History homework to do as well. Shawn walked out and saw that Jon was there sitting on the hood of his car. He smiled as he saw Shawn walk towards him, but the smile faded as he saw just how exhausted Shawn looked. He looked dead on his feet.

"Hey Shawn. You look exhausted." Turner said once Shawn got close enough.

"Hey Jon. I know we don't tend to do this, but I just really need a minute." Shawn said before he went and placed himself against Turner's chest and paced his head down on his shoulder.

Turner instantly wrapped his arms around Shawn and gave him a loving hug as he spoke.

"Hey anytime you need a hug you don't even have to ask."

Shawn wrapped his arms around Jon and they just stood there for a moment before Shawn pulled back and Turner saw that he had a few tears going down his face.

"Hey what's going on?" Turner asked with worry.

"Nothing I'm fine. I'm just so tired and so frustrated. I'm fine." Shawn said as he wiped the tears from his cheeks.

"In all of the time I've known you I've never seen you shed a single tear. You don't cry over nothing. Come on let's get in the car and you can tell me what is going on." Turner said with a soothing voice.

Shawn just gave a shaky nod and he went and got into the passenger seat while Turner got into the driver's seat. Turner started the car and headed towards his apartment so they wouldn't leave Jack waiting for them.

"What's going on Shawn? Or is it just an overall exhaustion?" Turner asked calmly.

"I'm so tired and frustrated. I've been saving up money from all of my jobs in the past four months. It's not much just whatever I could manage to put away. I was able to save six hundred dollars and I kept it in a small box under the floor boards in the closet. I don't have a bank account because my father used my name with different banks to steal money from them so it's ruined my name and no bank will let me open an account. So I had to hide it away where he couldn't find it. Only for some reason Thursday while I was working he tore the place apart. I got home and there was broken bottles all over the floor, he smashed the table and dining chairs into pieces, he even ripped up that mural I was working on for your extra credit. He ripped up the floor boards in the kitchen and in the closet and he found the money. He took it all and left the mess behind for me to clean up when I got home at two in the morning."

"Jesus Shawn. He's getting more unstable and more violent. What would have happened if you were there for it? He could have seriously hurt you." Turner said with worry.

"I know, I know. Six hundred dollars Jon. It was supposed to go towards the property taxes for next month. Its two grand and I need that to cover everything and now I have to try and make it all up. I've just spent the last twenty-four hours working at the garage straight for only three hundred bucks. It just pisses me off. I work all the time to pay the bills and cover everything and all he does is just get drunk and trash the place and just expects me to clean it up. And he knows I will because I don't want to live with glass on the floor and now I have to do that mural all over again when I could have used that time for another project." Shawn said with anger and frustration in his voice.

"You shouldn't be putting up with this Shawn. I know you don't want him to drink himself to death and I don't want to keep having the same conversation with you, but you need to leave and get out of there. You are sixteen your biggest worry should be your homework and not trying to come up with money to pay bills." Turner said with his own anger.

"I know and I know I have every right and reason to walk away, he's certainly done it enough times to justify it, but I can't. I can't do it not without being eaten alive by guilt. I need to talk to him when he's sober and try to get him to see what stress he's putting on me. He's gotta start working and helping out again. I can't keep going over twenty-four hours without sleep again. He's gotta try and change or at least put some of the money he makes playing pool back into the house." Shawn said as he ran a hand through his hair.

"You need to try and talk to him and I hope he doesn't turn violent against you. I would do it with you, but I have the feeling it would make it worse. You shouldn't be doing this Shawn. No one your age should have to be going through this. I'd offer you the money to help you pay the property taxes if I actually thought you would take it."

"I'll make it work, but I appreciate it. And you being there would just make him mad I'll handle it. What are we doing for dinner?"

"I thought I would pick up some Chinese on the way home and we can just relax there."

"Sounds good to me. I'm looking forward to seeing Jack again. I hope it's okay that I said we would meet at your place."

"It's our place Shawn, it always will be and of course it's okay for Jack to be there." Turner said as he pulled into the restaurant. "Anything you want in particular?"

"Honey garlic chicken sounds good."

"I'll be right back."

Turner got out of the car and headed inside. He didn't know what Jack would like so he got one of the family packages to get a good amount of variety for the three of them. The thing Turner loved so much about Chinese food was that it was cheap and you always get enough to last a couple of days. He had made sure he had gotten some breakfast groceries today as well for tomorrow. He was going to be making Shawn home fries, sausage, bacon and scrambled eggs tomorrow before he dropped Shawn off at work. He hated that Shawn was working so much and he hated feeling helpless. Turner could at least make sure Shawn was fed and had a bed to sleep in whenever he wanted. Turner got the food and headed back out to the car. He could see that Shawn was fighting to keep his eyes open. Turner placed the food on the backseat and got into his own seat. He heard Shawn's stomach growl at the smell of the food.

"God that smells so good." Shawn said waking up more now that his stomach was hungry again.

Turner spoke as he drove to the apartment. "When was the last time you ate?"

"The last actual meal I had was lunch at school on Friday. Other than that I ate two small bags of chips from the vending machine at work. It's part of the frustration. I spend my hard earned money on food so I can eat breakfast and take something with me for dinner to work. Only he gets drunk and eats it all with his friends just as fast as I can buy it. The only time I tend to eat a meal is at school it seems like anymore. I gotta find a different way to save money now and to try and keep food around somewhere."

"Ok well keeping money in the trailer isn't going to work. Once he knows you've hidden it he'll keep looking now. And a bank account in your name is out of the question. I could hold on to your money if you want. You could keep it at the apartment somewhere. That way you still have access to it, but Chet won't."

"Ya that would work. I'll start doing that." Shawn easily agreed.

"As for dinner I'll bring you a packed dinner to school that you can bring with you to work at night."

"Jon you don't have to do that." Shawn automatically said.

"I know I don't I want to. I make a lunch every day for myself it's no trouble to make one more and this way I know you are eating at least twice a day. I remember how much you can eat in a day and once at school is not enough for you. You are working all of these hours and not eating or sleeping properly you are going to get rundown and then sick. The last thing you need is to end up in the hospital because you got sick and your body can't fight it. I'm bringing you dinner to school and that's final." Turner said with a no argument tone in his voice that Shawn knew he wasn't going to win against.

"Thanks." Shawn said softly.

They pulled into Turner's usual parking space and they got out. Turner grabbed the food from the back seat and they went towards the front door. They saw Jack standing there by the front door as he didn't know what apartment number it was. Jack smiled as he saw Shawn.

"Hey man. You look tired." Jack said once Shawn and Turner were close enough that he could get a good look at him.

"It's been a long day. Did you find the place ok?" Shawn asked not looking to explain right now.

"Ya it wasn't too bad. How was work?" Jack asked as they headed inside.

"It was long, but it's done now and I don't go back until ten tomorrow morning."

"Do you do front desk work or do you actually work on the cars?" Jack asked as they headed up the stairs.

"I do both, but mostly I work on the cars I get paid five percent of the job that I work on." Shawn answered.

"That's it?" Jack asked.

"Ya well I don't have my license or of age to be a mechanic plus I work for family so it's a little different. I make more than I would working in a restaurant or a coffee shop. And I can get more hours." Shawn said back.

"Ya I guess it would work out in the end to be better given you're a minor. Is the garage busy a lot?" Jack asked as Turner unlocked the door and they headed inside.

"Normally ya. Uncle Mike does some stuff not quite on the up and up. I don't work on those cars only the legal ones. He tends to save those jobs for me, because I'm the only one that doesn't want to work on the illegal jobs." Shawn said.

"Well at least he doesn't make you so that's good." Jack said and it was clear he wasn't happy about the situation that Shawn was in.

"I hope you like Chinese food Jack." Turner said as he placed the cartoons down on the little island counter top.

"Ya who doesn't?" Jack said with a smile.

"Do you mind family style?" Turner asked as he grabbed some plates.

"Not at all." Jack said as he removed his jacket as Shawn did the same.

They all sat down at the island with Turner on the kitchen side and Jack and Shawn on the other side.

They all grabbed some food and put it on their plates as Jack spoke.

"So how was the rest of your week?" Jack asked Shawn.

"It was fine. Busy with work and school. You? Did your parents give you a hard time for coming down here?"

"Not at all actually. I was expecting some third degree and grilling when I got home, but they just asked how it went. When I told them I was coming down tonight they said I could stay the night if it was cool with you guys."

"Ya that's fine by me. We only have a couch for you though." Turner said.

"Couch works for me. Is that cool with you?" Jack asked Shawn.

"Ya it's good with me. I work tomorrow at ten though."

"I can head out at the same time that's no problem."

"How is school going for you Jack?" Turner asked.

"It's going well. I have a lot of final projects coming up and reports I have to start working on. We do a lot of team projects and twenty thousand word book reports. It's intense and can really bury you if you don't keep up with it."

"Wow that's intense. It'll get you ready for college though." Turner said.

"That it will and I'm thankful for that. Still sometimes you just want a weekend of doing nothing. My parents always have something going on that I have to attend these dinner parties for. We don't ever get to do something like this. This is awesome. Just sitting around talking and nothing fancy that you have to worry about manners and listening to conversations that you don't care about. We don't do this, we don't do the whole family dinner thing." Jack said honestly.

"I know what you mean. My parents are very well off and I used to spend every night it seemed like having to host a dinner party. It was always fine china and fancy food. I couldn't stand it." Turner said.

"The Matthews every night sit down for a family dinner and they are always together for it. I've never done it until I lived with Jon." Shawn said.

"It's important to be able to sit down together and talk about our day or anything. It's not always over here I'll admit there were many nights we ate in front of the TV on the couch watching a game." Turner said with a smile.

"It was still our time." Shawn said.

"And it always will be." Turner said.

"Man that is really cool. My parents and me are close, but sometimes I wish we could just be normal for a night or two. Me and my dad we play ball out back and stuff. We do, do normal things but sometimes it would be nice to be normal for longer than a few hours at a time." Jack said.

"Have you ever talked to your parents about it?" Turner asked.

"Naw I mean that's their way of life. My Dad he's very successful and he has to keep up appearances. I get that." Jack said.

"It's important that you talk to them about how you feel. I never did with my parents. They didn't want me to be a teacher, they wanted me to follow in the family business. I left at eighteen and I didn't talk to them for a long time, eight years. We're okay now, but I missed out on a lot of time with them all when I could have just talked to them and told them how I felt from the start. Don't leave for college with those feelings inside of you, the distance will only make them grow and life is too short to be not speaking to your family." Turner said calmly.

"You make a good point there Sir." Jack said honestly.

"Do me a favor and lose the Sir that makes me feel old." Turner said with a smile.

Shawn gave a chuckle to that and Jack gave a smile and a nod.

"Got it." Jack said.

"Oh Shawn you got a bunch of mail last night." Turner said as he went over to the kitchen counter where he normally kept the mail. He grabbed them as he turned back around to the island where Shawn was sitting. "Something interesting caught my attention. When did you start going by Shawn Turner?" Turner asked with a warm smile as he sat down and handed Shawn the pieces of mail.

"Ok that I can explain I swear." Shawn said with panic in his voice.

"Relax Shawn I don't care about the name. Though I have to say it looks and sounds really good. We might have to make that permanent one day. What I am interested in is what is in those envelopes. You have ten of them and some of them are well-known New York publishers. That is what I want to hear about." Turner said with a warm smile that Shawn couldn't help but smile back to.

"It's probably junk mail." Shawn said as he picked up the one envelope he had been waiting to hear back from.

"Publishers don't tend to send junk mail in large quantities." Turner said.

"Ok well two months ago I found this poster up in the food bank. It was a contest for kids between the ages of thirteen and eighteen. It's a poetry writing contests called the 100 Poem Challenge. You write a hundred poems and submit them all before the contests closes. It's based out of New York City and the top three winners would win money. First place gets fifteen hundred, second a thousand and third five hundred. I just did it for fun. I had a bunch of poems that I had written in the past year and a half and I wrote some more to make up the difference. I sent it all in as Shawn Turner just as a pen name and a precaution if I came in third place somehow." Shawn explained.

"Shawn Hunter and Chet could have taken the cheque and cashed it. Okay so open it." Turner said with a smile.

"You write poetry eh? That's cool and goes with you being creative. Do you play instruments?" Jack asked as Shawn opened the contest letter.

"I play guitar, I taught myself when I was eight. I found an old guitar out by the dumpsters and I cleaned it up. It's broken now though." Shawn said.

"Since when you still had it in great condition when you lived here." Turner asked.

"My father smashed it one night three months ago. Completely destroyed it." Shawn said as he pulled out the letter and began to read it.

Turner shook his head at that. It still amazed him how talented and creative Shawn was and that his own parents weren't supportive of him and his talent. When Shawn lived with him Turner made sure he encouraged Shawn to play his guitar and draw and write. He never told him to put the camera down or away. He never told him to stop playing the guitar all day long. He just allowed Shawn to explore his creativity anyway that worked for him. For Chet to actually smash Shawn's guitar, the guitar that he had repaired on his own with the help of a library book. It just pissed Turner off even more.

"Oh my God." Shawn said softly and in shock.

"What?" Turner asked slightly concerned.

Shawn looked up and looked right at Turner as he spoke. "I won." Shawn said in shock and amazed at the same time.

"What?" Jack asked with a smile.

"I won. I won the contest. I came in first place. I just won fifteen hundred dollars." Shawn said still in shock.

"What? Shawn that's amazing." Turner said with a huge smile.

"Dude that's awesome." Jack said with a smile of his own.

"Oh my God. That almost covers the property taxes I have to pay next month. I don't have to work as much now trying to come up with the money." Shawn said relieved.

"That is a conversation for another time. What does the letter say?" Turner asked hoping there would be a way that Shawn wouldn't have to spend the money on bills.

"Um…" Shawn said as he read the rest of the letter. "Ok so they want me to come out next weekend with the two other winners. They want to do an article for a magazine and a radio interview. They are paying for the hotel from Friday until Sunday as well as all of the food costs and transportation costs." Shawn said.

"That's amazing man. You get to be in New York City next weekend. We could hang out there and do dinner or something together." Jack said.

"Ya I just have to get time off work." Shawn said.

"You are going next weekend. Correction, we are going next weekend. You are not missing out on this amazing prize. Shawn an article is going to be written about your poetry. You get to be on the radio this is amazing Shawn. You get to be excited for this." Turner said with a smile trying to get Shawn to act like a sixteen year old and not an adult, a parent.

"This is pretty awesome. I only did it for fun and the chance of winning money. I never thought I would place or even win. It was open to the whole country between that age range. This is crazy." Shawn said with a smile and sounded shocked still.

"I have told you, you have always had talent and this proves it Shawn. You won out of everyone that applied you won. The sky is the limit with your talent." Turner said with honesty in his voice.

"What do the other ones say?" Jack asked.

"It's probably all junk from the contest." Shawn said as he grabbed one of the envelopes and opened it.

Shawn read the letter and they could see he was surprised by it.

"Judging by the look on your face right now I'm gonna assume not junk mail." Jack said.

"They want to meet me and discuss having my poetry published in my own book." Shawn said amazed.

"What? Holy crap." Jack said amazed.

"Shawn that is amazing." Turner said with his own smile.

Shawn went and opened the other envelopes and by the end of it he had nine publishers all looking to meet with him.

"They all want to meet with me to discuss a book deal. Nine publishers want to meet me." Shawn said amazed and stunned.

"Shawn man, that is an amazing opportunity for you. You can get your poetry published." Jack said with a smile.

"It's a great thing Shawn. You look like you ran into a wall right now though." Turner said.

"It's just a lot to take in right now. I mean I didn't think I would win the contest. I thought maybe if I was lucky enough I would place third. I've never had anyone read my poetry before it was just something I did to get my thoughts and feelings out. And now nine publishers want to meet with me to publish them. This is crazy." Shawn said amazed.

"You have always been talented Shawn and you've always had a hard time seeing and accepting that. Shawn this just proves what we have all been telling you that you are talented and will go very far. You have this amazing opportunity to share your gift with people and to go after your dreams. I am not about to let you throw that away because of low self-esteem thanks to that asshole father of yours. We are going to go to New York City together next weekend and we will meet with each of these publishers and decide together which one would be best suited for you. It is time for you to finally accept that you have talent and can truly be an artist. It's time to let yourself dream and embrace those dreams Son." Turner said in a serious voice.

The last word is what caught Shawn's attention and his eyes immediately snapped up to look at Turner. He could see the seriousness and love in Turner's eyes and it immediately soothed Shawn's worries and nerves on the matter. No one had ever called him son before, not even Chet. It was always my boy. Turner had never called Shawn his son, not even when they were living together, but he did now and Shawn knew he meant it completely. Shawn was living with Chet, but Shawn was very much Turner's son, he had become his son during that year that they lived together. Shawn had regretted leaving Turner's place to live back with Chet, but it was already done and now he was staying so he wouldn't feel the guilt at leaving Chet to drink himself to death. Shawn didn't even hesitate to write down Turner and not Hunter on the contest information sheet. It just came natural to him that he didn't even think twice. Hearing Turner call him son just sent a warm feeling throughout his chest.

"Ok." Shawn said with a warm smile to Turner.

"We need to celebrate. This is something we need to celebrate." Jack said with a smile.

"It is something we need to celebrate and we will tonight. You need to share this amazing news with a few people." Turner said with a smile that Shawn couldn't help but smile back at.

"Ya I guess I do eh. Topanga is going to be at the Matthews' tonight for dinner." Shawn said.

"Well let's call them." Turner said as he went over and grabbed the cordless phone.

Jack and Shawn continued to eat as they had been doing this whole time. Shawn was doing his best not to get excited, but part of him couldn't help himself. This was a huge opportunity that could open so many doors for him. He might be able to make money off of a book and not have to work so much at the garage and still make more money.

"Good evening Alan, how are you doing tonight?" Turner asked once Alan answered the phone.

"We're doing good. How about yourself?" Alan said back.

"We are doing wonderful. Shawn just got some amazing news and we were hoping to come by within an hour to share it with everyone. Would that be alright?"

"Ya of course come on over whenever you want."

"Great we will be there within an hour."

"Alright see you then."

Turner ended the call and sat back down at the table. "We're good." Turner said with a smile.

"This is really happening?" Shawn asked still shocked slightly.

"It really is. You go into work tomorrow you make sure that you tell your uncle that you can't work next weekend. We'll drive up Friday after school and check in to the hotel. Does it say anything about schedule?" Turner asked.

Shawn picked up the letter and checked the envelope and saw that there was another piece of paper. He pulled it out and saw that it was a schedule. "Ya so check in time is after three on Friday and then it has a meet and greet at seven where drinks and snacks will be served. Saturday it starts with interview prep at ten, then it goes on from there until about six where they have a dinner for everyone. Then check-out Sunday is at noon."

"Ok well maybe I'll talk to George and we could take Friday off and go down there early so we can talk to some of the publishers before we have to check-in. That way if we hit traffic we wouldn't have to stress about being late for anything." Turner said.

"Ya that would be good. I don't work Thursday night so I could crash here and we could just leave in the morning." Shawn agreed.

"I'll talk to George tonight I should be able to do it, there's enough time in between. We could also stop in on the way back to see my parents for a little bit if you want. They would love to see you."

"Are you sure? I've never met them before." Shawn said slightly unsure.

"We weren't ready for that, but I am if you are. They would love to meet you. They still ask about you all the time when I call them once a week. They would be just over an hour away. Only if you want to though Shawn no pressure." Turner said calmly.

"No I'd like to meet them if you think they would really want to meet me. It sounds like fun." Shawn said.

"They would love to meet you. I'll call them tomorrow and let them know we are coming down and when we get there you can share your good news." Turner said with a smile.

"Ok. Jack maybe if you are free you could come down Friday night for the meet and greet and hangout." Shawn asked still slightly unsure of how much time Jack truly wanted to spend together.

"I'd love to man. What hotel is it?"

"It says the Four Seasons." Shawn answered.

"That's one hell of a hotel. I'll be there for sure, I wouldn't miss it." Jack said with a smile.

They finished eating and cleaned up the left overs and put them in the fridge. They then grabbed their coats and headed out to go over to the Matthews' to tell them the good news. Shawn brought the letters with him because he knew someone was going to want to look at them. They made a quick stop along the way as Turner wanted to get some sparkling apple juice to toast to the celebration as none of them could drink. Once they arrived Turner parked his car and they headed up the driveway to the kitchen entrance. Turner went over and knocked on Mr. Feeny's door. After a moment the door opened and Mr. Feeny looked slightly concerned to see Turner standing there.

"Jonathan, what can I do for you tonight?" Mr. Feeny asked.

"Something amazing just happened to Shawn and you are going to want to hear this. Come on." Turner said with a smile and Mr. Feeny didn't have any choice but to follow as his curiosity was getting the better of him.

They walked over to the kitchen door and walked in with the others. Everyone else was still up in the kitchen either working on schedules or doing their homework including Topanga. They all looked up when they saw everyone enter.

"Hello everyone." Shawn said with a bright smile one they hadn't seen in a very long time now.

"Hey Shawn, who's your friend?" Topanga asked with a smile.

"This is my brother Jack. Jack this is Topanga and Mr. Feeny." Shawn answered.

"Hi it's great to meet you." Topanga said as she held her hand out and Jack shook it.

"It's nice to meet you. I've heard a lot of good things about you." Jack said with a smile.

"All of which are true." Cory said with a smile to Topanga.

"George Feeny." Mr. Feeny said as he held his hand out and shook Jack's.

"Jack Conner, it's nice to meet you Sir."

"I wasn't aware you had another brother Shawn." Mr. Feeny said as he let Jack's hand go.

"I knew when I was seven, but Jack didn't find out until Tuesday night. He came down Wednesday and we hung out here and had dinner. He came up tonight and he's driving back tomorrow morning." Shawn answered.

"My that must have been quite the shock for you Jack. Where do you live?" Mr. Feeny asked feeling protective of Shawn, especially considering who his other older brother is.

"I live in New York City. I'm eighteen and top of my class in my High School. I play on the basketball team, I've never been arrested or even given a speeding ticket. Come the summer I will be moving down here to go to Pennbrook for the engineering program." Jack said with a calm smile as he knew what Mr. Feeny was doing and he wasn't bothered by it.

"My that is very impressive. Your parents must be very proud." Mr. Feeny said with a small smile.

"They are. But that is not why we are here." Jack said with a smile as he turned to look at Shawn.

"Shawny my man why are you here? Not that I don't love seeing you especially with that huge bright smile on your face. Haven't seen that in oh about seven months if feels good seeing it again. Why is it on your face though?" Cory asked with a smile as he stepped closer to Shawn.

"Because I just got some really good news and I'm excited for it. I'm actually excited for it which is a weird and new feeling." Shawn said with a lopsided smile.

"And I brought the sparkling juice to toast this celebration." Turner said.

"What no wine?" Eric said with a smirk.

"Seeing as how most of the people in this room aren't old enough to drink we'll go with the juice." Turner said.

"Alright well tell us Shawn don't leave us in suspense any longer." Alan said with a smile.

"So two months ago I saw a poster at the food bank for a poetry contest out in New York City. It's the 100 Poems Challenge. You have until the contest closing date to submit a hundred poems that you wrote. The winner would win fifteen hundred, second place a thousand and then third would win five hundred." Shawn started.

"Yes I've heard of it and have had students in the past apply for the contest. It's open to only teenagers between the ages of thirteen and eighteen. It's meant to try and inspire creative writing as those are the ages where children lose interest in it. It's very well-known and prestige. It spreads across the whole country they get almost three million applicants each year." Mr. Feeny said.

"Wow I didn't know it was that many." Shawn said amazed.

"It's one of the most turned out writing contests in the country. Even being able to write a hundred poems is an accomplishment in itself." Mr. Feeny said.

"Ok so you applied for the contest what happened?" Cory asked.

"I was able to get in all of the poems before the contest closed and I didn't hear anything until I got a letter in the mail yesterday, I just got it tonight from Jon."

"And? You're killing me here Shawn." Cory said with a smile.

"And I won. I came in first place." Shawn said with a smile still not able to believe he actually won.

"What? That's amazing Shawn." Topanga said with a huge smile.

"Shawn that's wonderful. I'm so proud of you." Amy said as she went and gave Shawn a hug that Shawn easily hugged back.

"That's awesome man." Eric said.

"See I always knew you had talent. I'm happy for you, you deserve it." Cory said as he gave Shawn a hug next followed by Topanga.

"Thanks." Shawn said.

"I'm proud of you Shawn you took a chance and it paid off. This definitely deserves celebration." Alan said with a warm smile.

"This most certainly does. Shawn this is a once in a life time opportunity for you. It's a true accomplishment that you should be very proud of." Mr. Feeny said with a warm voice that Shawn knew meant that he was proud of him.

"Thank-you Mr. Feeny." Shawn said slightly shyly.

"That's not all of the good news either." Jack said with a smile.

"There's more? Well do tell." Cory said with a curious look.

"They are paying for a hotel for next Friday until Sunday and all day Saturday I'll be doing an interview for a magazine article and a radio interview with the other two winners. I also got offers in the mail yesterday from nine different publishers asking to meet with me for a book deal on my poetry." Shawn said.

"Shawn that is fantastic." Amy said with a smile.

"It's truly a wonderful opportunity for you." Mr. Feeny said proudly.

"Shawn this is amazing. I'm so happy for you." Topanga said with a smile as she came over and gave Shawn another hug.

"Thank-you." Shawn said as he returned the hug.

"Shawn I'm very proud of you. We are celebrating this." Alan said as he made his way over to Shawn and pulled him into a hug himself.

Shawn hugged back and Turner went to get glasses for everyone so they could have a toast. Once everyone had a glass Turner spoke.

"To Shawn, may he never forget what true talent he has."

They all raised their glasses and spoke.

"To Shawn."

They all took a drink and Mr. Feeny spoke.

"Shawn, you should put together a portfolio of your sketches and photos for when you meet with the publishers. All too often they will use images that associate with the poems. You could use your own for it. Mr. Williams will be able to help you with it this week if you wish."

"Ya okay I can do that."

"That would be a good idea they might want to include it into the book." Turner said.

"I'll figure that out this week and I guess I should call the publishers and set up a time to meet with them eh?" Shawn said.

"Yes you need to do that. George, I was thinking I could take Friday off. That way we can be in New York meeting with publishers and not be rushed." Turner said.

"That's fine. You have more than enough holidays saved up. I'll have a substitute come in that day for you." Mr. Feeny easily agreed.

"This is awesome you'll be in my area next weekend. You're gonna love New York City especially at night in Times Square. It's beautiful." Jack said with a smile.

"Hopefully at night we'll have some time to look around." Shawn said,

"We can find the time I'm sure. Most of Saturday is during the day. After diner we can go out and stroll around." Turner said.

"You have to take pictures." Topanga said.

"I don't have a camera. I usually use the one from school." Shawn said.

"I'm sure Mr. Williams will allow you to bring one with you. I'm sure there is a project that it could attach itself to." Mr. Fenny said.

"Ask him and see. I don't think he'll care you're really good with the equipment." Turner said.

"With your prize money you could buy your own." Cory suggested.

"Maybe." Shawn said.

They spent the next hour sitting in the kitchen just talking before Eric, Jack, Shawn, Cory and Topanga headed outside to sit out back for a little while before they had to all leave for the night. Alan, Amy, Mr. Feeny and Turner headed into the living room to sit down and talk as well.

"I still can't believe Shawn won a National poetry contest." Alan said still amazed that he never knew Shawn could write poetry.

"I didn't even know he could write poetry. He never mentioned it ever before. That money will be great for him. He could use it to get some new clothes and a camera. Two things he could really use." Amy said.

"Unfortunately he is going to be using it to pay off the property taxes." Turner said clearly not happy about it.

"Property taxes? Why is he paying that and not Chet?" Alan asked annoyed that Shawn would have to pay bills at all let alone with his own money.

"He's been paying all of the bills for the past four months. Chet got fired four months ago and hasn't gotten a new one or has any interest in a new one. Shawn's been working so much to pay the bills each month and this month he has to pay two grand for property taxes. He's using all of his winnings to go towards paying them off. He saved up six hundred but Chet found it and took it. Shawn worked twenty-four hours straight this past day to make three hundred." Turner said with anger in his voice.

"I knew he was working, but I had no idea it was that much. We've all noticed that he's been more tired and getting a little rundown but I had no idea he was working that much. I just thought it was from school work and working part-time. Plus he has photography jobs as well. He's too young to be doing this and it's dangerous for him to be awake for twenty-four hours." Amy said with anger and worry in her voice.

"He shouldn't have to be worrying about paying bills. What the hell is Chet doing all day while Shawn is working his ass off?" Alan asked with anger in his voice.

"He's been drinking again. He's gone most of the time from what Shawn has told me. They don't see each other much." Turner said.

"Shawn shouldn't be there then. Why is he still living with Chet?" Mr. Feeny asked with anger in his voice as well.

"Hey don't look at me. I tried to get him to move back in with me. He still has a key and as of last weekend he is living with me on the weekends where he can get proper sleep and food into him. I've also been bringing him dinner to school so he has something when he goes to work or to home. Chet keeps eating the food with his drinking buddies. I've tried to get Shawn to leave, but he feels responsible for Chet. He thinks that if he leaves and Chet drinks himself to death it will be his fault." Turner answered.

"That's ridiculous it's not his fault if Chet is unable to become sober and support himself. Shawn can't live there just to take care of his father when he is the one that needs to be taken care of." Mr. Feeny said back.

"And I agree. But you know Shawn. He wears his heart on his sleeve. He'll always blame himself for Chet dying if he isn't there to keep a roof over his head and food in the fridge. Right now he can't bring himself to leave. I haven't pushed him on it because you know just as well as I do that it won't work. It has to be Shawn's decision. I've even thought about calling CPS but Shawn can lie better than anyone when he wants to. He'll deny it and that will make him push me away something he can't afford to do. I would rather him be honest with me and feel like he can come to me when he needs help or someone to talk to." Turner said calmly trying to explain himself.

"As hard as it is, that is the right thing to do. Shawn will distance himself from us if he thinks all we are going to do is hassle him about his home life. It's better for him if we offer a safe haven like we always have where he can come here and sleep for the night or be here for a meal. We need to keep a better eye on him now that we know he is working more than we thought and not eating enough. Shawn doesn't have much weight to lose right now. If he loses any and not sleeping enough he is more likely to get sick and not be able to fight it off." Alan said with worry.

"And that is my concern. Him getting rundown and getting sick. I don't want him in the hospital. Just the other day when he got the black eye, he was shaky on his feet then from being rundown. This weekend away will be good for him. He'll get to relax and sleep more. I'm hoping it rejuvenates him and is a positive experience for him. He deserves this and I'm hoping he can be just a sixteen year old and not the adult." Turner said.

"He does deserve this and I am very happy and proud of him. He took a huge chance and it paid off. Something that does not happen very often with him. He is truly talented and he appears to finally be seeing that. I have always said he had a great deal of potential if he could just believe in himself. I'm very happy to see that he is finally doing just that." Mr. Feeny said.

"He needs to enjoy that weekend in New York. It should be about him and his hard work. He deserve the attention and reward. We can't let him use that money on bills." Amy said sadly.

"I'm going to try and figure something out. I offered to pay, but he won't let me. Shawn hates charity and even though that is not what it would be he still sees it that way. I can understand I was like that too when I was younger. The property taxes are due at the start of next month so hopefully I can convince him to let me help." Turner said.

"If you are able to convince him and you need any help with putting the money together let me know." Mr. Feeny said.

"I think I'll be fine but thanks. Alan, do you know a good guitar shop?" Turner asked.

"Ya I know one. I didn't know you play."

"I don't. Shawn does."

"Really? I didn't know that." Amy said surprised.

"He sings too. He sounds amazing. He found this old guitar when he was eight next to a dumpster in the trailer park. He fixed it with a book he got from the library and taught himself how to play. He's amazing at it. It took me a few months to even get him to play it that first time with me home. He used to wait until he was alone. Once he got comfortable with playing around me he almost never stopped. I just found out tonight though that Chet smashed it to pieces when he was drunk a few months ago. I was looking to get him a new one, like a congratulations gift." Turner explained.

"That's a wonderful idea. I'd like to put in for that." Mr. Feeny said.

"We will too. We could get him a really nice guitar. My friend will give us a deal too." Alan said.

"Great I appreciate that. You won't believe how amazing he sounds. Especially because he taught himself with a book. He's got so much talent. I don't know how Chet could look at him and drink. How he could take his guitar and smash it. It blows my mind." Turner said sadly.

"Trust me we've wondered how Chet and Verna could leave Shawn behind over and over again. We've had many conversations about calling CPS and taking Shawn in as one of our own. We would have if we thought he would ever agree to it and not run away every chance he got." Alan said sadly.

"I'm hoping Shawn won't be there much longer. I just need him to see that Chet is not his responsibility and he'll leave. He's looking towards a future with going to college and working towards a scholarship. Hopefully he'll leave Chet behind soon so he can truly focus on his future." Turner said.

"With this weekend and meeting publishers, going on the radio, he may start thinking more seriously about what he can accomplish and how much living with Chet could cut into that." Mr. Feeny said.

"I hope so. He deserves to have this chance with his future. He deserves this after all of the hard work he has put in." Turner said.

"It's going to be a great weekend. One that he will always remember. What are you doing for dinner on Thursday?" Amy asked.

"I don't have any plans just yet." Turner answered.

"Good. Come by here and we can BBQ and celebrate. We can give him the guitar then as well." Amy suggested.

"Sounds great. Let me know what I can bring for dinner."

"George you are obviously welcome to come." Amy said with a warm smile.

"I wouldn't dream of missing it." Mr. Feeny said warmly back.

They spent the next half an hour talking before it was time to get going back to the apartment. They all said goodbye and Turner, Shawn and Jack headed back to Turner's apartment. It was just after nine thirty at night by the time they walked into the apartment. Shawn removed his coat and removed his shoes as did Turner and Jack. Shawn headed into the bathroom and grabbed two pain pills as his head and wrist were hurting him. He headed into the kitchen as Jack spoke.

"That was fun. Your friends are really great."

"They are awesome. And Topanga is insanely smart which helps for homework. She always knows what is going on." Shawn said before he took the pills.

"Head or wrist?" Turner asked with concern.

"Both." Shawn said with a shrug.

"You need to take a hot shower and get some sleep. You've been awake for over twenty-four hours now. Your body is going to crash soon." Turner said with concern.

"I know." Shawn said with exhaustion clear in his voice as all of his energy from the exciting news and being around people was quickly wearing off.

"I'll get you set up on the couch Jack." Turner said with a smile before he headed out to grab a blanket and a pillow.

"You really don't have to crash here if you don't want to." Shawn said.

"I want to. If that's still okay with you." Jack asked not wanting to make Shawn feel uncomfortable.

"It's cool with me. Jon usually makes something really good for breakfast."

"I love breakfast."

"Me too. Right next burgers."

"I love burgers especially homemade ones. We don't get them very often though."

"Cory and me used to go to Chubbies all the time. Every Friday night we used to go for dinner. We haven't really had the chance to do that in almost six months now. Why don't you get burgers that often?"

Turner walked back into the room with a blanket and pillow as Jack answered.

"My parents have a very busy life. It's not often we get to have home cooked meals. Normally our cook will organize the meals. It was really cool growing up, but now most days I just find myself wanting to have normal simple foods like everyone else my age. That's what I'm really looking forward to going to college. I can make my own dinners and go out on a Friday night with some friends and just hang out. It's gonna be awesome."

"That is what college is all about. Making new friends, having experiences and learning what you need for your career so you can make decent money and still have fun." Turner said with a smile.

"Engineers make very good money." Jack said with a smile.

"It's not always about money though. Some of the best things you can do in this world are free. Besides what good is money if you have no family or friends to share it with?" Shawn said calmly.

"And that is why you will always be down to earth and very rich." Turner said with a smile as he went over to Shawn and pulled him into a hug. Shawn hugged him back for a second before he pulled back.

"I'm gonna shower and get some sleep. I'll see you both in the morning."

"Good night Shawn." Jack said.

"Good night Jack."

"If your headache gets worse in the middle of the night come and get me." Turner said.

"I will. Good night."

"Good night."

Shawn headed towards the bathroom so he could take a hot shower and then get some sleep. He was exhausted and just wanted to sleep for a week. He was looking forward to next weekend in New York City. He was hoping that he could relax and catch up on some sleep this week so he wouldn't be too tired for the weekend. He also knew he had to still work this week as much as he can to make up for losing the weekend. He had the fifteen hundred, but he still needed to make up for everything else that was coming up within the next few months. He just had to get to the summer when school was out and then he could work and not have to worry about school on top of it. Once Shawn got out of the shower he headed straight for bed and was asleep within seconds of his head hitting the pillow.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was Thursday that following week right after school. Tonight was set for a night of celebration as everyone was going to be going over to the Matthews' house to have dinner and celebrate Shawn's success. This was something very important to them as they wanted to show Shawn they cared and that he shouldn't give up. He had won a National contest with his poetry plus he was meeting with nine different publishers the next day. It was a big deal and they wanted to show Shawn that if he continued to work hard it would pay off. They had gotten him a very nice acoustic guitar to replace the one that was broken. They had even gotten it engraved on the back so he would always remember that he was loved. Tonight they were going to be barbequing burgers, Shawn and Turner had made pasta salad and Mr. Feeny had made potato salad as well to go with dinner. They also had stuff for ice cream sundaes for dessert.

Turner had been slightly worried about Shawn all week. He was looking more and more tired as each day went on. He knew he was working on his extra credit work plus he was working all week so he could make up some hours for missing all weekend. Still he wasn't happy that Shawn wasn't getting enough proper food and sleep into him so his body could handle it. He was glad that this weekend, even though Shawn will be busy with the contest he would still be able to relax and enjoy the time off. Eli had also easily agreed to help him with creating his portfolio and is allowing Shawn to bring the best camera they have with him to New York. Eli was looking forward to seeing what Shawn would photograph as Shawn truly had become his best student. It was the end of the day and Topanga and Cory were just packing up from study hall. Turner was in the room getting his desk packed up so they could leave. He had made sure there were lesson plans for the substitute teacher for tomorrow so he wouldn't have to worry about that tonight. Tomorrow they can get up at seven, eat breakfast and then hit the road. They needed to be in New York City for ten to meet with their first publisher. Shawn had gotten directions already written down for each publisher so they wouldn't get lost. Turner had been in New York City a few times growing up, but he had never been to any of these locations. Turner was looking forward to this weekend and spending some time with Shawn. He was also going to be introducing Shawn to his parents on Sunday. They are going to do a simple dinner out to get everyone used to each other. His parents sounded very excited and supportive of the idea and they had been asking about Shawn for a while now. Turner was hoping everything would go alright. They were just about to head out when a student came into the room.

"Hey Cory you gotta get out front. Hunter looks like he's gonna get into a fight with some guy." The student said with a heavy voice from running all the way here.

"What?" Cory said as he took off out of the classroom with Topanga and Turner right behind him.

"Mr. Matthews no running in the hallway." Mr. Fenny said as he saw Cory run down the hall, but then looked confused when Topanga and then Turner did as well.

"What is going on Mr. Turner?" Mr. Feeny asked as he started to follow.

"I don't know. Charlie Davis just came into study hall saying Shawn looked like he was getting into a fight out front."

They ran the rest of the way to the front door and outside. They saw that Shawn was just off of school grounds with a ninth grader standing behind him. In front of Shawn was some older boy that was easily over the age of eighteen. He was right in Shawn's face, but Shawn wasn't backing down even though the older boy had fifty extra pounds on Shawn's size.

"Get out of my face Jackson." Shawn said with a deadly anger in his voice.

"What are you gonna do about it Hunter? Eddie ain't around no more to have his protection on ya. See never bothered with you before cause you kept out of my business but now you're fucking with it. That kid is mine he lives on my side of the street. That makes his ass mine. So step away and let me go about my business." Jackson said as he stood up as tall as he could to try and intimidate Shawn, but it didn't work.

"He's twelve years old you can't have him. Go find someone else to be your little lap dog and sell your drugs. You can't have the kid." Shawn said back.

Just then three of Jackson's gang members got out of the car that Jackson drove and moved over to stand behind Jackson. Cory, Turner, and Mr. Feeny all moved over so they were now standing beside Shawn.

"I suggest you take your friends and leave the property before I call the police." Mr. Feeny said.

Jackson chuckled to that before he spoke. "Be my guest call the police. He's the one with the drugs on him right now. I got nothing on me. So why don't you take your old ass and get out of here and let me finish my conversation."

"You don't get to talk to him like that. Take your crew and get the hell out of here. You don't get to sell your drugs in my school. You don't get to harass the kids in the park that just want to try and get out. Leave them alone and go and find your own runners that want the life. Stay the hell out of my area and stick to yours downtown." Shawn said with anger as he pushed Jackson back.

"You think your tough because of your last name. You think that'll keep you safe? Eddie is gone and with him went your protection. A war is starting and I'm gonna enjoy being the one that puts you down." Jackson said with seething anger in his voice.

"Now you wouldn't be threatenin' my kid brother now would you?"

They all turned to look at Eddie who had just gotten out of a car with his own three gang members. In the middle of their argument they didn't even hear the second car pulling up. Eddie came over and stood between Shawn and Jackson while his three other members went and stood in front of the other three members of Jackson's gang.

"I heard you were dead." Jackson said.

"Naw just went out of town for a little while. Had some work to do. Now what seems to be the problem that you would actually think you could threaten the life of my kid brother? You know the rules I leave you alone if you leave him alone. You start goin' against that I'm gonna have to start to take back some of that area of yours. So you best have a good reason for this display out here." Eddie said with a deadly tone.

"That kid over there is one of my runners. Your brother seems to think he can stand in the way of that. It's a good area for me right here I need runners in the area."

"You sellin' drugs in my kid brother's school? And you thought that'd be a good idea because?"

"Hey I give the runners the drugs it's on them where they sell em. Ya know that."

"Ya just like I know if I hear about any drugs bein' sold on this property I'll be comin' to find ya. My gang runs this town and everyone knows it. So you're gonna keep your drugs out of this school and leave the trailer kids alone. They belong to me. If you don't we're gonna have a problem and you won't survive it." Eddie said in a deadly tone.

"You got a war comin' your way." Jackson said in a deadly tone as well.

"One I'll always win. Get out of my face before I really get mad."

"This ain't over. You're gonna regret this Hunter, the both of you." Jackson threatened as he backed away and headed back over to his car with the three gang members following him.

Shawn turned around to look at the younger kid.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cause any trouble." The kid said softly.

"It's not your fault. No one should make you sell drugs. Look there's this community centre not far from the trailer park. Go there after school and make some friends. They have different lessons for free you can learn some cool things. Just keep your head down and stay out of trouble." Shawn said.

The kid gave a nod and started to walk away.

"We need to talk." Eddie said to Shawn.

"That is the last thing I am going to do with you." Shawn said back.

"I'm serious. Now." Eddie demanded as he turned to head back towards his car.

"Shawn." Cory started, but Shawn cut him off.

"It's fine Cor." Shawn headed over to the car where Eddie was standing. The other three gang members stood there with the others as a wall to keep them from getting to Shawn and Eddie.

"What do you want Eddie?" Shawn asked clearly annoyed at this happening.

"Well hello to you too little brother."

"What did you expect Eddie? The last time I saw you, you were hurting my best friend then you disappear and I haven't seen or heard from you since. It's been months."

"I was out of town doing some work. Heard you were back in the trailer park. What happened to living with that teacher?"

"Our father came back and said things would be different so I moved back in with him."

"And how long did that last?" Eddie asked annoyed.

"Three months. I'm making it work. Now what do you want to talk about because I have somewhere I need to be."

"Ya and where would that be back home to trailer life?" Eddie asked with a condescending tone.

"No to a celebration party, my celebration party."

"For what?"

"I won a national contest with my poetry. I'm going to New York City where I'll be in an article and on the radio. I'm also meeting with nine publishers they want to publish my work in a book. You might like this life of crime but I don't and I won't be in it. I'm working towards an arts scholarship for college. I'm getting out and I'm staying out."

"Good for you. I mean that. It's why I've always had a protection on you. Give you the chance to get out. You always had that in your eyes. I hope you have fun this weekend."

"Thanks Eddie." Shawn said slightly surprised that Eddie was being like this.

"Look I know dad isn't working and your property taxes are due soon. I heard you were working for Uncle Mike but you're not making much besides the rent and other bills. So here." Eddie said as he pulled out a white envelope from his coat pocket and held it out for Shawn.

"What's this?" Shawn asked as he took the envelope

"Twenty-five hundred. Enough to cover the property taxes and help with some food. I know dad and his buddies eat a lot when they are drunk."

"Why are you giving this to me? Since when do you care?"

"Growing up after I left I was the one helping with the bills. When our father was too drunk to work and drank the welfare money away I worked at the garage and stealing to make enough to keep you with a roof over your head. I didn't go to school at the time like you are. You're tryin' to get out and I can respect that. It's just to help you out you don't have to pay me back or nothin'."

"I'm not gonna take money from you Eddie." Shawn said as he held the envelope back out to him.

"Either you take it or I leave it in the mailbox and you know if our father finds it he'll drink it away. You're better off using it for the bills. There's no strings attached to it and it's not charity if it's family. Use the money and not stress all weekend about the bills you can't afford to pay." Eddie said calmly.

Shawn thought about it for a moment before he put the envelope in his coat pocket.

"Thanks." Shawn said clearly uncomfortable with taking money from Eddie.

"Stay out of downtown for a while. A war is gonna start if you're not careful you'll end up gettin' caught in the middle of it."

"I'll avoid it as much as I can, but I sell photos downtown when I can."

"Just be careful when you're down there. They won't just wait for the night. Or your little friends for that matter." Eddie warned.

"I'll let them know. You going out of town again?"

"Naw I'll be around. Best not to leave for a while again with the heat comin' up."

"You gonna see our father?"

"Got no reason to. Enjoy your weekend in New York City. You still got my number?"

"Ya I do."

"Call if somethin' happens. I gotta go."

"Be safe eh."

"You too little brother."

Eddie got into the driver's seat while Shawn headed back towards the others. They all looked concerned and Shawn spoke.

"It's fine. I'm sorry about that Mr. Feeny. Jackson was trying to push drugs onto the kid and he looked like he needed help." Shawn said apologetically.

"It's quite alright Mr. Hunter. You did what I would hope any student at this school would do. Are you alright?" Mr. Feeny asked with concern.

"I'm fine, but I have a pocket full of drugs right now." Shawn said slightly awkwardly.

"Give me the drugs and I will dispose of them." Mr. Fenny said.

Shawn put his hand in his pocket and pulled out the small baggies with white powder and handed them over to Mr. Feeny. Mr. Feeny then put the drugs into his own pocket until he could flush them back in the school.

"We should get going we don't want to be late." Shawn said hoping to change the subject from what had just happened.

"Cory, Topanga do you need a ride?" Turner asked.

"No it's fine I brought my dad's car. We'll see you at the house." Cory said to Shawn.

"See ya soon." Shawn said with a small smile.

"Come on Shawn let's get going we need to pick up the salad along the way." Turner said clearly not happy about what had just happened here.

"I'll meet you both at the Matthews'." Mr. Feeny said.

Turner and Shawn headed to Turner's car while Mr. Feeny headed inside to gather his things and flush the drugs before he would leave. Once inside the car Turner started it and headed off for the apartment so they could drop off their things and pick up the pasta salad that was in the fridge. After being in the car for five minutes and no one saying anything Shawn spoke softly.

"I'm sorry."

"For what?" Turner asked with a tightness to his voice.

"For making you mad."

Turner took in a deep breath and slowly let it out. After learning about the level of abuse that Shawn had been through in his life. Turner knew that any anger he had at the situation he had to get it under control so Shawn knew that he wasn't in trouble by what happened.

"Am I mad yes, but I'm not mad at you Shawn. I'm proud of you. You stood up and did the right thing by helping that kid out. I'm mad at the situation and what that other guy said to you. I'm mad that you seem to have been dragged into an up and coming gang war because of who your brother is and because you did what was right. I'm not mad at you at all Shawn." Turner said hoping that explained everything to Shawn.

"I'm still sorry. I know you'll be worried about me and you already do that enough. The kid just seemed so upset and I've seen him around the park his mother just got divorced and that was all she could afford with her job. I couldn't just stand there and do nothing even though it would have been smarter to."

"And you would have felt guilty until you did something to change it. What did Eddie want to tell you?" Turner asked worriedly.

"That he was sticking around in town for a while and to be careful of being in the downtown area. He thinks a war is gonna start. I'm only there when I get the chance to sell any photos though so it's not like I live down there. I'll let Cory and Topanga know not to go down there unless they have to and not go alone."

"Good you need to make sure that none of you go alone down there. Nothing might happen, but it's better to be safe than sorry. Was that all Eddie wanted?"

"No he knew I was working at the garage and he told me that he wasn't gonna be seeing our father. He also gave me twenty-five hundred in cash in an envelope."

"He what?" Turner asked shocked.

"He used to live with us growing up until he couldn't take it anymore. He left when I was just six. He left to live with an uncle, he was sixteen at the time. He worked at the garage and stole when he could. He paid the rent and brought food over once a week for a few years until our father was back to working. He knew the property taxes were due soon and he knows how much they are roughly. He gave me the money so I wouldn't have to try and come up with it."

"And you took it from him? You do realise it is probably from stolen goods."

"I know. And at first I refused it but he said he would leave it in the mailbox at the trailer and my father checks it every day in case there is a cheque for me in there that he can steal. If he got the money he would have it gone by Monday morning with drinking and smoking. I might as well use it for the property taxes and save the five hundred for something that might come up. Are you mad I kept the money?"

"No I'm not. I don't like that he gave you money, but I can understand you taking it and using it for something good compared to Chet using it to get drunk all weekend. I'm also glad that you don't have to use your contest money on bills."

"I'll save it and see if I need it later on. It'll be nice to have the extra cash saved up in case it's a slow month in the garage. Takes some of the stress off that would be a month worth of bills."

"You pay out fifteen hundred a month in bills?" Turner asked shocked.

"It's actually closer to twenty-five hundred a month between the loan payments and the other bills. Plus if I ever want to have a bank account in my name or credit to get my own apartment at some point I'll have to pay off that debt. Which is around fifty grand that my father has racked up over the years."

"You shouldn't have to pay that off. There must be some way to prove that you didn't register those loans or bank accounts. Legally you aren't old enough to have any of those things. I know you could easily correct it if you filed fraud charges, but it was done by Chet and I don't see you doing that."

"I can't do that to him."

"I know you can't. There is probably another way to do it, but it would take a lawyer to figure out."

"Something I am not able to afford right now. I'll worry about it when I'm older." Shawn said as they pulled into the parking spot.

They both got out and grabbed their bag before they headed up into the apartment building and into their apartment.

"Did you pack a suit?" Turner asked.

"Ya I didn't know if I was supposed to or not."

"It's better to have one and not need it then to not have one and need it. I also spoke to my parents and we are meeting them for dinner in New York City Sunday. We have a reservation at a semi-fancy restaurant for five."

"No pressure there." Shawn said with worry and nervousness.

"Just be yourself and they will love you. They already do love you because I love you. They want to get to know you and for you to get to know them. They know why we are there and they are very excited for you. They are looking forward to hearing all about it. We don't have to though if you aren't ready for this though Shawn."

"I'm nervous, but I want to meet them. I'm curious about them. I think the nervousness will wear off once I meet them."

"It will and trust me they are just as nervous as you are. Now do we need to talk about anything before we head over to the Matthews? Anything I should know about?"

"Besides being tired nothing that can't wait until later."

"No, no waiting until later. We get it out right now so when we leave we can go and celebrate your success and then come back here happy and excited for tomorrow. Nothing is going to ruin this weekend. Did anything happen this week that I don't know about or that I should know about?" Turner asked calmly.

"I talked to my father about not drinking so much and helping out more with bills." Shawn admitted sadly.

"Ok see that is something we need to talk about. Sit down we have the time for this." Turner said as he sat down on the couch.

Shawn went and sat down and spoke as he did.

"I told him I was getting too tired between school and working at the garage."

"Ok and what did he say? Was he sober when you had this conversation?"

"He only had three beer so as close to sober as I can normally get him recently. And he said that living is hard and you have to make priorities. That if I was getting too tired with school and work than maybe I should drop out of school so I can just work full-time and make decent money. He's not happy that I won't work on any of the illegal jobs in the garage because it's more money. I was up all night Tuesday redoing my History report because he decided to rip up the one I did to prove that school was pointless. I had to write a twenty page report all over again, but I couldn't remember what I wrote for the first one or what the chapters were really on. So I had to read eight chapters all over again before I could even write the report. Then I worked last night after school until four in the morning. By the time I got home I only got just over an hour of sleep. I'm tired, but I'm always tired. I fell asleep in the shower this morning and ended up slipping and I banged my left side off the side of the shower. Now I have a huge bruise on my left side. Plus my eye is still black and my wrist is still sore. I'm worried about meeting these publishers and everyone else this weekend."

"First, you are not dropping out of school. The very last thing you should be doing is giving up on your dreams and hopes. You have a true talent and winning this contest just proves that. Second, you working on illegal jobs will only jeopardize your chances of success. You get arrested and any chance you have of getting an art scholarship goes right out the window no matter how talented you are. Third, you cannot keep going twenty-four hours and more without proper sleep, at least six hours. It should be eight but I know that isn't always easy for someone to do. If you keep going without proper sleep you will get sick and your body will be too exhausted to fight it off. You could end up in the hospital Shawn. Not to mention how dangerous it is to be working on cars that exhausted. You fell asleep in the shower and hurt yourself. What if that had been while you were at work? You could have seriously hurt yourself. You need to find a way to make sure you are getting enough sleep. If you are going to work at night to avoid Chet, fine I can understand that, but come here instead. This way you can sleep in a bed at least. As for your homework you'll just have to be really careful. Maybe keep it at school or here or with Cory when you need it some place safe so Chet can't destroy it on you like that again."

"Ok."

"And as for the bruising when we meet people just tell them that you broke up a fight and took an elbow for your troubles. I don't think people will really ask you about it."

"I just…" Shawn started, but then stopped.

"You just what Shawn?" Turner asked calmly.

"I just don't want to have to think about it this weekend. I just want to be me. Is that ok? Or is that selfish?" Shawn asked confused.

"It's not selfish to want to be yourself. Shawn I want you to be just a sixteen year old this weekend. Have fun and enjoy every moment of it, because this is a once in a lifetime opportunity for you. So many amazing things could come from this weekend. You only have one job from this moment until Monday morning and that is to just be sixteen and not thirty. Be the kid and I'll be the adult. Deal?"

"Deal." Shawn easily agreed.

"Good now is there anything else we need to talk about before we don't talk about it again until Monday morning?" Turner asked with a warm smile.

"Nothing."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's get out of here and go celebrate."

They both smiled and got up off the couch. Shawn went and put the envelope in his duffle bag for now while Turner grabbed the pasta salad and they headed out of the apartment and back down to Turner's car. They headed over to the Matthews' house and arrived twenty minutes later. They headed inside the kitchen door and saw that everyone was there in the kitchen including Mr. Feeny.

"Hey you guys made it." Alan said with a smile.

"Ya sorry we are late we just had something we needed to talk about." Turner said as he placed the pasta salad down on the island counter top while Shawn went over to lean against the island counter.

"Cory was just filling us in on what happened at the end of school. Shawn, are you alright?" Amy asked with concern.

"I'm fine it was no big deal." Shawn said trying to blow it off.

"It's not a no big deal situation though Shawn, you need to be careful." Alan said in a serious voice.

"I will I promise. But Cor you and Topanga shouldn't be downtown alone just in case. A gang war has been coming for months now it wouldn't be a good idea to be alone downtown especially after dark."

"Neither should you." Turner said in a serious voice.

"I won't be and when I need to be down there I'll be careful as always." Shawn said.

"We will be as well." Topanga said.

"I can't believe I missed it." Eric said with annoyance that he had been at his car already when this was happening.

"It was a good thing you weren't there. We don't need any of you starting anything or creating problems. Let the police handle the gangs and keep your heads down. I understand that Shawn you were standing up for another younger kid. I'm proud of you for that, but you especially you Shawn, have to be careful and pick your battles. Stay out of their way as often as you can until things cool down again. We love you and we don't want to see you hurt." Alan said in his father voice.

"I'll be really careful I promise. This isn't my first gang war." Shawn said with a shrug.

"You've been through this before?" Cory asked shocked that Shawn had never said anything before.

"Twice the first time I learnt my lesson and kept to certain streets. Having the name Hunter isn't exactly a good thing." Shawn said with another shrug.

"What happened the first time?" Turner asked with concern.

"It was nothing. I just got beat up a little. I was eight and went down the wrong street. I was fine." Shawn said like it was nothing.

"Wait was that when you said you fell down the stairs?" Cory asked as he remembered something from when Shawn was eight.

"Yup. Easier than explaining that I got caught in a gang war. You wouldn't have understood at eight Cor." Shawn said with a smirk.

"I don't like this." Topanga said with worry.

"I don't either." Mr. Feeny said.

"Guys I promise I will be fine." Shawn said trying to comfort everyone.

"Just remember that you can always come here if you are in trouble. I don't care what time of the night it is. Do you understand me?" Alan said in a serious voice.

"Yes. I promise." Shawn said with sincerity in his voice.

"Good now no more of that. This is a celebration. Let's heat up that barbeque and get those burgers going." Amy said with a warm smile.

They all started to get things ready for dinner and get the barbeque going. While it was warming up Eric, Cory, Shawn, Morgan and Topanga went and played basketball. Once dinner was ready they all went inside and ate and talked about how their day was outside of the altercation after school. They talked about what Shawn would be doing in New York City with the contest and the publishers. They kept the conversation light and family friendly. Once dinner was over they all cleaned up and headed into the living room. Shawn sat down in the chair while the others sat on the couch or the other chair. Turner went behind the couch as he spoke.

"Alright Shawn we have a little congratulations gift for you."

"What? You guys didn't have to do that." Shawn said clearly uncomfortable with being given a gift still after all these years of never receiving any.

"We know we didn't we wanted to." Amy said with a warm smile.

"I didn't know you guys got him anything." Cory said shocked as well.

"That's because you suck at hiding things from Shawn." Alan said with a smile.

"Close your eyes." Turner said with a warm smile.

"Seriously?" Shawn asked skeptically.

"Yes now close your eyes." Turner said warmly.

Shawn closed his eyes and Turner grabbed the hard black guitar case and went around the couch. He placed the guitar down on the coffee table before he spoke.

"Alright open em."

Shawn opened his eyes and the shock was clear as day on his face.

"Are you serious?" Shawn asked softly.

"What's in the case?" Eric whispered to Cory.

"A guitar, but I'm not sure why." Cory whispered back.

"Because he plays guitar." Topanga whispered.

"How do you know that and I don't?" Cory whispered to her.

"Because I don't pressure him and I heard him play once at Mr. Turner's apartment when he was home sick." Topanga whispered back.

"Open it." Turner said with a warm smile.

Shawn moved and opened the case and sure enough a brand new acoustic guitar with a black leather strap was sitting in the case.

"It's beautiful." Topanga commented.

"I'm afraid to touch it." Shawn said honestly.

Turner gave a chuckle before he spoke. "It won't break that easily. Go ahead."

Shawn moved carefully and picked up the guitar out of the case. He noticed something on the back of the guitar and he tilted it slightly so he could see what it was. He saw that something was on a silver plate and engraved into it was "Never Stop Believing in Yourself and Your Dreams. Love Your Family." Shawn smiled as he looked at everyone before he spoke.

"Thank-you."

"You are most welcome Shawn." Mr. Feeny said on everyone's behalf.

"Come on play something." Cory said with a smile.

"Oh I don't know. I don't really play in front of people." Shawn said nervously.

"We're all family here Shawn. You don't have to sing just strum a few cords." Alan said encouragingly as he knew that Shawn had never played in front of anyone besides Turner.

Shawn looked over at Turner who gave him a warm smile and encouraging nod. Shawn let out a shaky breath before he spoke.

"Ok."

Shawn ran his right hand along the neck of the guitar while he mind thought of something quick to play. He didn't have a pick, but he never did, so he began to use his left hand to strum the guitar as he played the notes. He only played for a couple of minutes before he stopped, but just those couple of minutes and they were all amazed at how talented Shawn was. Especially because he taught himself how to play with a book. He didn't have anyone to teach him or show him how to position his hand for easier transitions. For someone that didn't have any training but a book he was truly talented. With some coaching he would be even better and truly a master of the guitar. Shawn finished playing and he was clearly feeling unsure about himself as he had never played around anyone beside Turner and that one time Topanga walked in on him.

"That was great Shawn." Alan said proudly.

"Thanks." Shawn said awkwardly as he was not used to praise in his life.

"I can't believe I didn't know you could play guitar. When did you start?" Cory asked amazed that he didn't know something about his best friend.

"Um when I was eight I found a guitar out by a dumpster. It was beat up and needed repairs. I thought it might be fun so I repaired it using a book from the library and pieces that I found around town that were thrown out. Then I taught myself with a book." Shawn answered.

"Wait no one taught you how to do that? Dude that's talent." Eric said supportingly.

"Would lessons be something you are interested in?" Amy asked.

"I don't know. It would be cool to learn different cords and how to transition easier. I just know what I learnt in that one book. I'd like to learn more, but I don't know how comfortable I would be with some stranger trying to teach me." Shawn said.

"Why a stranger? I play you know that. I could teach you some different cords and transitions. From what I saw you are way above a beginner Shawn. You could come by one night you don't work and I can show you some different stuff." Alan offered with a warm smile.

"Really?" Shawn asked slightly surprised.

"Of course. Come by any time you know that. I would be happy to teach you. You have a natural talent Shawn you need to keep it up and build on it. Even if all you ever do is just play for fun and for yourself. It's good to have an outlet. I would love to teach you, especially because these two don't have any interest in learning." Alan said as he looked over to Eric and Cory.

"I have no interest in starting and do you really want Eric touching your guitar?" Cory asked with a smirk.

"Hey." Eric objected.

"Ya that's true. Anytime Shawn just come on over. I'm dying to pass on the knowledge to someone might as well be a member of my family." Alan said with a warm smile.

Shawn smiled back before he spoke. "Ok"

"Make sure you play that with a pick though. The new strings are sharp." Alan said.

"I don't use one, never have." Shawn said.

"Why not? Wouldn't you cut your fingers up playing that way?" Turner asked confused.

"Many times. But I just never found one so I got used to playing with bandages on my fingers." Shawn said with a shrug.

"Ok no." Alan said as he got up from the couch and went over to his guitar case. He took out one of his picks and walked back over to Shawn as he spoke.

"Here use this. I have like twenty of them all over the house I'm surprised you haven't stumbled upon any over the years."

"Thanks." Shawn said as he took the pick.

"No problem. I knew a guy who used to play without a pick he sliced the top of his finger off one day practicing with his new strings. He learnt the hard way. I don't want you to either." Alan said as he sat back down on the couch.

"Ouch." Eric said.

"I wasn't aware they were that sharp." Mr. Feeny said.

"The high-end ones can be very sharp. It's meant for the electric guitars to produce a sharper sound. But if you play without a pick you can seriously hurt your hands especially if you are doing slides on the neck." Alan said.

"Done that before. Had to get five stitches." Shawn said.

"You've gotten stitches a lot." Cory said.

"Not my fault I was an active kid that loved to climb." Shawn said with a smile, but Turner doubted now that some of those injuries and stitches came from Shawn climbing around through windows.

"Why do you climb through windows? Why not a door?" Eric asked.

"What kind of challenge is a door?" Shawn said with a smirk, but Turner could see that it was a lie. He made a mental note to ask Shawn about it later as he too was wondering why Shawn preferred windows than doors.

"Are you going to be seeing Jack in New York?" Amy asked.

"He's supposed to be meeting us at the hotel Friday for the welcome meet and greet." Shawn answered.

"How has this new relationship been Shawn?" Mr. Feeny asked with concern.

"Ok I think. It's just starting out, but so far nothing bad has happened. He seems like a good guy and he hasn't been arrested."

"He seems like he has a good head on his shoulders. He's looking forward to going to college." Turner added.

"He seemed cool to me." Eric said with a shrug.

"He's better than Eddie that's for sure." Cory said.

"Yes it would seem. I hope the relationship works Shawn. It would be good for you to have a family member that is not involved in illegal activities. Someone you could look up to and speak with. " Mr. Feeny said.

"We'll see what happens." Shawn said.

"Shawn is going to meet my parents Sunday night for dinner." Turner said.

"How do you feel about that Shawn?" Alan asked with concern.

"Nervous." Shawn said as he put his guitar back into the case.

"That's to be expected. You've never met them before. It's natural to be nervous." Mr. Feeny said.

"They will love you Shawn." Amy said with a warm smile.

"They already do. They are very excited to meet him and hear all about his weekend in the city." Turner said.

"Which will be awesome." Cory said with a smile.

"It will be, but it is getting late we should head back home. Get a good night sleep before we hit the road tomorrow morning bright and early." Turner said.

"What time are you leaving in the morning?" Alan asked.

"We need to be on the road by eight to get to the first publisher for our ten o'clock meeting." Turner answered.

"Well you better get going so you can get a good night sleep for the drive." Amy said with a warm smile.

"Thank-you so much for the guitar and dinner." Shawn said with a smile.

"You are most welcome Shawn. We love you and you enjoy this weekend." Amy said as she got up off the couch and gave Shawn a hug.

Once all of the goodbyes were said Turner and Shawn headed out to go back home. Once they arrived back at the apartment they headed inside. It was just after eight-thirty at night when they walked back into the apartment. Shawn set the guitar case down on the floor by his duffle bag so he could remove his coat and shoes as Turner did the same.

"You must be exhausted." Turner said.

"Not yet, but that's probably until I sit down." Shawn said with a smirk.

"I don't know how you are still on your feet to begin with." Turner said as he went to sit down on the couch with Shawn right behind him.

They sat down on the couch and Shawn sat back and Turner could see the exhaustion creeping onto his face.

"I don't know either. Some days I'm so tired that I can barely function yet I still am able to go to work and do what needs to be done."

"Your body is going through the movements with your brain turned off. Like autopilot. It's not a good thing Shawn."

"Well I don't have to worry about that this weekend. I still can't believe you guys bought me a guitar. I don't know how I could ever thank-you for it Jon." Shawn said as he turned to face Turner.

"You can thank us by never forgetting that you have talent Shawn." Turner said in a serious voice.

"It's not that easy." Shawn said softly.

"Why not Shawn? What's keeping you from seeing it?" Turner asked calmly.

"I don't know. I mean I hear when you say it, when the Matthews and Mr. Fenny says it. But my mind it's like it doesn't go in. All I can hear is my father's voice in my head telling me that I'm worthless and stupid. The other voices don't go through. Is that ever going to stop?" Shawn asked sadly.

"It's going to take some time. It's not going to get better while you are still there, hearing it. I know you feel and believe that Chet is your responsibility to look after. That you would feel guilty if he drank himself to death. I can understand that, but Shawn you need to try and think about what staying with him is and will do to you. To your health and not just physically, but mentally and emotionally as well. You need to see that living with someone that is abusing you will only hurt you." Turner said gently.

"I don't know what to do. I know that staying with him isn't the smartest thing to do, but at the same time I still believe he'll change. He did it growing up he would drink and not work and then he would stay sober and work. Part of me still believes he will as stupid as that sounds." Shawn said sadly.

"That doesn't sound stupid at all Shawn. You're sixteen and even though you've been through this for thirteen years it's natural for you to believe that he will change for you. I'm natural for you to want to be the reason he gets sober. I wish I could tell you that he will. I'm sorry though because I can't. The truth is if he was going to change for you he would have done it a long time ago. I wish I could tell you otherwise I really do." Turner said sadly.

"I know. But I still can't just leave him to die. Maybe one day I'll be able to walk away, but I can't just yet. I'm sorry. I know you want me to. I know it frustrates you that I can't. I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to apologise for Shawn. I understand why you can't. This isn't something I can make you do. I wish you would leave, but I can't force you. This has to be your decision otherwise it won't work. Just remember the deal right?" Turner said in a serious voice.

"I remember." Shawn said back with a slight sad tone to his voice.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Ya."

"Why do you really use the window over a door?"

"You picked up on that eh?" Shawn said nervously.

"I did, but the others didn't. I was just wondering what the real reason was."

"There's always a window." Shawn simply said.

"What do you mean?" Turner asked confused.

"In the old trailer we used to have this small room kind of like a storage room only just bigger than a closet. The door would lock from the outside and there was no handle on the inside. It broke off a long time ago before we even got it. There was a small window though just big enough for someone small under the age of fourteen to fit through. My father used to lock me in there when he was mad. The first time I was five and I was in there for two days before he remembered I was there. There was no heating or cooling in the room so in the summer it was like being in a tin box, it was so hot and in the winter it was freezing. There would even be ice on the walls. He used to keep his beer and liquor there. When I was six I was in there for three days. He had left that first day I could see him drive away from the window. I remember I used old cases of beer to stand on so I could see out the window. I waited for three days in that spot for the truck to come back. It was so hot in that room I couldn't do it anymore. So I played around with the window and was finally able to get it open and I crawled through. I went to the community centre to hide out in. They always had water and snacks there. The one worker she made me a sandwich and kept giving me water bottles to drink. That night I went back and I saw him pulling into the park. I ran and got to the window and went back into the room so he wouldn't know I was gone. He let me out the next day. Acted like he didn't leave me in this hot room for four days with no food or water. Just told me I had chores to do. I've always had a window to crawl out of." Shawn explained sadly.

"That's heartbreaking Shawn. I can't believe what you've been through. The pain you've been through. You never should have experienced any of that." Turner said sadly.

"I got used to it. Do you know how I met Cory?"

"No I can't say I've heard that story." Turner asked interested in how Shawn and Cory had met.

"We were in the first grade. Topanga was in our class. We've always been in the same classes the three of us until high school. We weren't friends right away though. We had been in school for three months before Cory even spoke to me. Everyone avoided me in school. I was that trailer kid, the one that didn't belong. The one that didn't always have a lunch and when I did it was usually eaten out a can that I used my Swiss Army Knife to open. No one talked to me. One day we went on a field trip to the zoo. Cory and Topanga ran by as I was sitting on a bench eating and I asked if they wanted to have lunch together. Cory said no that everyone says not to talk to me because I live in a trailer. They ran off and Cory climbed this ridiculously small wall that kept the lamas in their pit. He fell in and Topanga called for help. I ran over and hopped into the lama pit and got Cory to stand up so we could hop out. I had to help him climb over. This wall to me was nothing, yet Cory couldn't just put his leg up and hop over. He never had to do anything like that. Afterwards he invited me to his house and told his parents how I saved his life and that we were going to be best friends forever. We've been best friends ever since." Shawn said with a warm smile at the memory.

"That sounds exactly like Cory." Turner said with a chuckle.

"I was seven the first time I snuck into his room at night. Climbed up the tree and went right in. Eric and him were sleeping and I went over to his bed and nudged him awake. He thought I was some burglar looking to kill him. Once he saw that it was me he calmed down. Until he saw my black eye at least. I had snuck out when my father passed out. Took a beer bottle to the face; that was before I learnt how to move fast enough. He wanted to wake his parents, but I convinced him that I was fine. I lied and said I got hit by a door. He didn't ask why I was there just pulled the covers back and told me to lay down. I snuck back out in the morning and went home. Ever since that night he has always left his window unlocked so I could always get in. He's only asked me maybe ten times why I was there over the years. I think as we grew up he started to figure out that my home life wasn't all that happy. He has no idea about the hitting, but he knows my parents argued a lot. I think he just assumed it had to do with that. It's silly but to me if there's a window I know that I'll be able to get out if I have to. I'll always have a way out." Shawn explained.

"That's not silly Shawn. It's not silly at all. I'm so sorry you had go through any of that. I look at you and all I can think is how could anyone hurt you. How could Chet ever raise his hand to you? I don't know why some people hurt children. I wish I had answers for you. A way to explain why he would hurt you, something to give you closure and peace. I will always be here for you no matter what. You can tell me anything, anytime. I love you son." Turner said with a pained voice.

"I love you too." Shawn said with tears building in his eyes.

Turner pulled Shawn into a loving hug and Shawn easily returned it. He couldn't stop the few tears from falling and Turner held Shawn closer to him and rubbed a soothing hand along Shawn's back. After a minute Shawn pulled back and wiped his cheeks from the tears as he spoke.

"Sorry."

"Hey I told you, you never have to apologies for crying. You've been through a lot Shawn you have every right to be upset and hurt over it."

"I've never talked about it before. It never used to bother me. Why does it bother me now?" Shawn asked confused as a tear rolled down his cheek.

Turner spoke as he moved his hand and gently wiped the tear away. "Because when you were younger you didn't know exactly what was going on. It happens all the time with child abuse victims. They don't realise that something is wrong until they get a little older. During the teenage years is when it typically bothers them. It's at this age where you will either try and survive and be better for it or you'll spiral down and give up to drinking or drugs. Unfortunately with child abuse victims it's either one or the other. It's why I'm concerned and worried for you. I know you want out of the life. I know you want to go to college and be something. I couldn't be prouder of you. I'm worried though that one day it'll be too much and you'll throw it all away just to escape for a little while. And with the amount of alcohol in the trailer it would be all too easy to drink. I don't want Chet to win. I don't want Chet to destroy everything that is amazing about you Shawn."

"I won't let him. I have too many people that care about me to let that happen. I promise I won't let it get to that point."

"I believe you. I believe in you Shawn and I always will." Turner said with a warm smile.

"I'm glad you're in my life. I don't think I would be here if it weren't for you." Shawn said with a warm smile.

"I'm glad I could be here for you. You've made my life have meaning and be worth something. I had no idea what I was missing out on until you came along. I'm very lucky to have you in my life."

Shawn gave a smile before he yawned. Turner chuckled slightly before he spoke. "You need to sleep. We both need sleep so we are ready for tomorrow. I got stuff for breakfast too."

"Sleep sounds really good right now. What time do we have to be up?"

"I will have breakfast ready for seven. So if you are not up by quarter too I will wake you up."

"Sounds good. Good night Jon."

"Sweet dreams Shawn."

Shawn got up off the couch and picked up his guitar and duffle bag and went into his room. He put his money that he got from Eddie in his drawer for safe keeping before he got changed into some sleep clothes and crawled into bed. He was asleep within minutes.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

It was Friday morning at six when Turner got up to his alarm going off. He was feeling very awake as he had gone to bed at ten and had slept soundly for the past eight hours knowing that Shawn was home safe. Today was a big day for Shawn and Turner wanted it to go well. He headed out of his room and into the bathroom. Once he was done in the bathroom he went into the kitchen to put on the coffee. With that going he heard Shawn's bedroom door open. He looked out to see Shawn heading into the bathroom with some clean clothes. Turner figured Shawn was going to shower. Shawn still had just shy of forty minutes left to sleep and Turner was hoping he wasn't awake because of a nightmare. Turner went to work on getting the batter ready for the waffles he was going to be cooking for breakfast. They were Shawn's favorite and he knew that Shawn would need the energy to get through this day. Turner heard the shower running and he knew that Shawn would be up for the day. While he waited for Shawn to get out of the shower he went back into his room to get dressed for the day. He put on black jeans and a dark red dress shirt. He didn't need to look fully professional this was a relaxing weekend and today they were only checking in the hotel, meeting with publishers and going to the meet and greet today. They were both going to be bringing a suit only because they didn't know if they would need it or not. It was better to be prepared then to go without it and need it. Once dressed Turner headed out into the kitchen and grabbed himself a cup of coffee. He began to cut up the strawberries and get them in a bowl that they could eat as well for something healthy. Turner had just finished getting the strawberries into the bowl when Shawn came into the kitchen. He was dressed in blue jeans with a black t-shirt and blue button down shirt left open.

"Morning Shawn. You're up earlier than I thought you would be." Turner said with a smile.

"Ya I woke up at quarter to six and couldn't get back to sleep." Shawn said with a shrug.

"How are you feeling?"

"Don't know yet." Shawn answered honestly.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Turner asked calmly.

"I'm just nervous and excited. Which is a new feeling for me. I've never been excited before, not really sure what to do with myself."

"You relax and enjoy the day. The excitement will calm down once we hit the road and get to New York. Then you'll be too busy to even think about it. I'm making waffles by the way." Turner said with a smile.

"Yum." Shawn said with a smile.

"Are you all packed?" Turner asked as he went to get the first waffles cooking in his waffle iron.

"Ya I think so. I left the money Eddie gave me in my dresser. I have my ID and my bag is packed. I have the camera in its bag. And I have my portfolio." Shawn said as he sat down on the stood in front of the island counter top.

"Then I think you have everything. Did you bring a book to write in? In case you want to."

"I did and I brought my History book to read and my homework. I have to read five chapters this weekend for History. Plus I have that Social Studies assignment. I'll probably read the History chapters in the car on the drive."

"How is that going?"

"Slow, but it's getting there. Mr. Feeny said my mark was up to sixty-eight between the test and the extra work. I still have two months to get it to an eighty. The exam worries me it's four hours and there is an essay question he said. I don't know if I'll do too well on it."

"I will help you study and make sure you are ready for it Shawn. Don't worry about it. If you stress over it, it will only make it worse and your brain won't retain any of the information. No stressing over homework this weekend I mean it." Turner said with a smile.

Shawn smiled back as he spoke. "I won't stress, but I'm still doing the reading."

"And I will help if you get confused." Turner said as he put the first few waffles on a plate as he went to make more.

Once all of the waffles were made Turner sat down and they both began to eat.

"God I missed your waffles." Shawn said.

"I only make em when you're here."

"Really?"

"Yup. Normally for breakfast I just eat oatmeal or cereal you know that. Except on weekends where I might make some eggs. Only started to really make breakfast when you moved in."

"Why?"

"Breakfast is important to younger people. It's good to have a healthy breakfast before school to wake you up and give you energy for the day. Plus I've seen you eat. You need some serious fuel in you for the day." Turner said with a smile.

"Cory eats more than me you do know that right." Shawn said with a smile.

"He does. Teenage boys always can eat a lot. Don't think I haven't noticed that you've lost weight since living with Chet again. I plan on getting it back on you."

"I eat."

"Not enough and you know it. How did you sleep last night?"

"Like the dead. I don't think I even moved. It's like that every weekend though. Sleeping in a bed feels so good after a long week."

"Any pain?"

"My side hurts a little, but not too bad."

"No headache?"

"Not right now. It usually comes later in the day."

"Do you get them often?"

"All the time. Usually once or twice a day."

"Since when?" Turner asked with concern.

"Since I can remember. Most of the time I don't even notice them. I just got used to them."

"You really should get that look at Shawn. It's not normal to have headaches multiple times a day." Turner said with concern.

"I'll see a doctor about it. I'm sure it's nothing though. There was something I wanted to talk to you about." Shawn said nervously.

"Anything Shawn you know that." Turner said gently back.

"It's just um… this weekend because I put my name down as Turner and your last name is Turner. They are going to think you're my dad." Shawn started nervously.

"That would be a logical assumption yes." Turner said calmly.

"Um…would that be ok?" Shawn asked nervously and Turner knew what he was trying to say, but was too afraid to say it.

"Shawn, you are my son. To me, you are my son. Blood or not it doesn't matter because I love you like a son. I would love nothing more than to be your dad. Nothing would make me happier. But only if you want that." Turner said calmly.

"Ya. You're my dad to me. I just didn't want you to get upset if they ask about my dad in any interview and I said you but you didn't want me to." Shawn said awkwardly.

"I don't care if you scream it from the rooftop Shawn. You're my son and you always will be." Turner said with a warm smile.

"Ok." Shawn said with a small blush.

They finished eating breakfast and cleaned up so there wouldn't be any dishes in the sink while they were away all weekend. Once everything was finished it was just after seven.

"Well, why don't we hit the road and get there a little early." Turner suggested.

"Early would be better probably in case we get lost or traffic." Shawn agreed.

"I got everything all packed. Are you ready?" Turner asked as he went to put on his leather jacket.

"I'm good." Shawn said as he went to put on his leather jacket.

"Let's go to New York then." Turner said with a smile.

They grabbed their bags and they headed out of the apartment and down to Turner's car. Once they were settled in the car Shawn made sure he had his History textbook and the camera in the front with him. They hit the road for the highway. They got thirty minutes into the drive and Turner saw that Shawn had went back to the start of the History chapter to read it again. He knew that Shawn had some problems with reading textbooks. He was good with novels, but textbooks tended to give him a harder time. Turner turned off the radio as he spoke.

"You okay?"

"Ya I just usually have to read it a few times before I get it. I don't know why." Shawn said sounding slightly frustrated and annoyed.

"Why don't you try reading it out loud? That way if you are confused I will know what you are talking about. Reading out loud can actually help with remembering and understanding as well."

"Ya okay."

They spent the next hour going over the history chapters. Shawn had stopped to ask a few questions and Turner was happy to explain. They had managed to get through three of the chapters out of the five that Shawn needed to read. When they reached New York Shawn put the textbook down and picked up the camera. He rolled the window down as they went over a bridge and he took some photos.

"I can slow down or even stop if you want. We have the time." Turner said with a smile.

"No don't. I'm curious to see what it'll look like."

"Alright. We do have an hour before the first appointment. Why don't we head down for that area and then we can walk around until it's time." Turner suggested.

"Sounds good." Shawn said slightly distracted as he continued to take pictures.

Turner just smiled and kept driving. Eli had said that Shawn had a great deal of talent when it came to a camera. He had made sure he told Turner to let Shawn explore with the camera and take any type of shots that he wanted. Eli was also looking forward to Monday morning when he could develop the photos with Shawn and see what he did. When they finally made it close enough to their first appointment with the first publisher Turner parked and they got out. Shawn grabbed his backpack where his portfolio was and his writing book. He could put the camera in it once they got into their appointment. For now it was glued in Shawn's hands as he looked up at the skyscrapers and took some pictures with a huge smile on his face. Seeing Shawn so happy made Turner feel like he was on top of the world. He had already been to New York plenty of times, but this was Shawn's first time and he was loving it. Turner was all too happy to stand there leaning against his car while Shawn took some pictures. He wasn't in any hurry and he wasn't going to rush Shawn. This was a great opportunity for Shawn to let his creativity run and Turner would never stand in his way of that. After ten minutes Shawn put his camera down and looked at Turner.

"I swear the novelty will wear off." Shawn said slightly embarrassed.

"I hope it doesn't. I love seeing that smile on your face. I haven't seen that since you lived with me. You ready to explore? We have about forty minutes before we need to be at the publishers." Turner said with a warm smile.

"Lead the way." Shawn said with a smile.

They spent the next forty minutes walking around the area searching it out. Shawn took a bunch of pictures and Turner knew that Eli would have given Shawn a lot of rolls of film. Turner wouldn't be surprised that by the end of it Shawn would have close to two hundred pictures. The next two publishers were also in this area so they found where they were located and it was easily in walking distance. There was also a bunch of restaurants they could eat at in between the third and fourth publisher. They had two hours in between meetings. Turner did it on purpose so they could eat and travel there with enough time. Then they go from the fourth publisher non-stop until the very last one. Then they would need to check into the hotel at three. It was going to be a busy day, but one they were both looking forward to.

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By the time four o'clock rolled around both Turner and Shawn were looking forward to sitting down in their room for a little bit before they would need to go down for the meet and greet. Jack would be there for seven and they were all going to head down together. That gave Turner and Shawn three hours to relax and eat some dinner before they had to be down with everyone. That would also give them some time to figure out what they wanted to do about the publishers. They walked up to the front desk and Turner gave the woman a smile.

"Good evening gentlemen. Do you have reservations?"

"I believe so. I'm not sure who it would be under. My son won a writing contest and they told us that we were staying here." Turner said with a smile.

"Yes the 100 Poem Contest. Congratulations. What's your name?" The woman said with a smile.

"Shawn Turner." Shawn answered. At first it had been weird saying Turner, but after meeting with the nine publishers Shawn was used to it by now.

"First place. Congratulations Shawn. I have your room all set. Inside the room you will find a welcome package for things you can do and see in New York when you have the time. There is also a complete itinerary for the weekend and some information about everyone involved. Like the interviewer and the radio host. Everyone will be here tonight for the meet and greet at seven right in the dining hall. The hotel offers a hot breakfast buffet every morning from six to ten in the dining hall as well. All of your meals here will be charged to the contest. Do either of you have any questions?" The woman said as she got the room keys and paperwork.

"Nope I think that covers everything." Turner said.

"Perfect so I just need your signature for the room and then you are free to go." The woman said as she placed the paperwork on the counter and Turner read through it and signed it. "Here are your room keys. It's room 507. The elevator is right there around the corner. If you have any questions or need directions just call down or come down here and we will help you out."

"Thank-you so much." Turner said with a smile as he took the room keys.

"My pleasure enjoy your stay and your weekend."

"Thanks." Shawn said with a smile.

They headed to the elevator and made their way up and into their room. Once in the room they were amazed at how nice it was. The room was very large with two queen sized beds, a large TV, a couch, a table, a desk and even a balcony. The bathroom had a glass shower stall and a bathtub with jets.

"Wow." Shawn said.

"This is a very nice hotel room." Turner said impressed as well.

They went and put their bags down before they both sat down on their beds. Shawn groaned as he sat down.

"Wow this is comfy."

"You getting tired?" Turner asked as he sat back on his bed.

"I don't know what I am. Nervous, excited, confused, overwhelmed, happy. I don't usually have different emotions going on at the same time."

"It's not a bad thing Shawn. We got three hours to relax and grab some dinner before we have to be anywhere tonight." Turner said with a smile.

"What did you think about the publishers?" Shawn asked as he sat back against the wall so he could face Turner.

"I think they were all very good. They all seemed to be offering the same price for the book. What did you think?"

"I like the third one's idea for a collective book between poems and photos of mine."

"That was different compared to the others. It would be good for you to get both of your talents out there in a book. They will get it ready for the summer months so it won't affect your school work. The publisher, Michael, seemed very willing to work with you on the layouts and which photos and poems go into the book. He seemed very understanding and interested in working with you at your younger age. You have some time to think about it, but I think we should look into him a little more and see if there are any reviews on the publisher, any feedback from clients." Turner said.

"Ok sounds good. I think I'm gonna do some more History reading before we go for dinner."

"Do you want any help with it?"

"Sure." Shawn said as he got up and grabbed his backpack so he could grab his History textbook.

They spent the next few hours going over the History chapters and eating dinner. When it was seven they had changed and went down for the meet and greet. Jack was standing there in the front lobby waiting for them. Jack smiled when he saw Shawn and Turner coming towards him.

"Hey man welcome to New York." Jack said with a warm smile as he gave Shawn a hug.

"Thanks. You find this place ok?" Shawn asked as he pulled back.

"Ya no problem. Hello Mr. Turner."

"Call me Jon Jack. How are you?" Turner said.

"I'm good. So tell me all about today." Jack said as they made their way into the dining room.

"It was good. We met with the publishers and they all basically are offering the same thing. We liked he third one, Big House Publishing. He wants to do a book with a mix of my poems and photos. He seemed really cool." Shawn said.

"They're a great publisher too. They've done a lot of huge novels and art books. When were they looking to get it ready by?"

"They said if I made a decision this weekend then I could send them all of my poems and photos and they think it should be printed come July." Shawn answered.

"They are hoping to get it out fast with the press from the contest to help boost the hype and sales. The sooner they get it out the better they said." Turner added.

"That's great though. You'll be a published artist Shawn at just sixteen. That's huge." Jack said with a smile.

"Ya it is. It's crazy, all of this is crazy." Shawn said as they walked into the dining room and saw that it had changed since they had eaten dinner down here at five.

The tables and chairs were gone and it was closed for the private event to anyone outside of the contest. There was a small buffet table with small finger foods and drinks off to the left side of the room. There was already twenty people here, but they didn't know how many were due to be here.

"We probably should have read that welcome package." Shawn said quietly.

"Would have been a good idea, but your History homework is done on the plus side." Turner said with a smirk.

"True."

"You had homework?" Jack asked.

"Ya just five History chapters to read. I read three in the car on the way up here and we just read the last two in the room. What about you?"

"I have a report to finish. I'll do it tomorrow." Jack answered as they went over and grabbed themselves a drink. "Did you get the chance to do any exploring at least?" Jack asked.

"We did this morning and in between publishers. I've taken about sixty pictures so far."

"I was surprised you didn't bring your camera down here." Turner said.

"I didn't know if I was allowed or not." Shawn said.

"That's true some people might not appreciate getting their picture taken. Should we mingle?" Turner asked with a smile.

"I'm not very good at that. At least not with a bunch of strangers that aren't my age." Shawn said.

"It looks like someone is coming over here anyways." Jack said.

They saw an older woman in her forties coming over to them. She had a smile on her face and they assumed she was with the contest in some way. When she got to them she held her hand out to Turner as she spoke.

"Hello, I'm Melissa Watson. Director of the contest."

"Jon Turner, it's nice to meet you. This is my son Shawn and his brother Jack Conner." Turner said as he shook Melissa's hand.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all. Especially you Shawn. I've been very much looking forward to meeting with you." Melissa said as she held her hand out to Shawn.

"It's nice to meet you. Thank-you for choosing my poetry." Shawn said as he shook her hand.

"Believe me Shawn it was my pleasure. We were all hoping you would be able to make it. With short notice of just a week you never know if the kids can get out of school and if the parents can get off work." Melissa said.

"Trust me this was not something Shawn was going to miss." Turner said in a serious voice.

"I'm glad he didn't. I was hoping to speak to you if you have some time right now." Melissa said.

"Of course." Turner said.

"Perfect let's sit down as there are a few things we need to discuss." Melissa said with a warm smile.

They followed her over to one of the few tables left in the room. They all sat down and Melissa spoke.

"Shawn, it has come to my attention that you were reached out to by five publishers in the city."

"Nine actually." Turner corrected.

"Wow that is truly amazing. Shawn do you know much about the contest before this?" Melissa asked.

"Not really. I saw the flyer and thought I would try it." Shawn said not really sure where this was going.

"The contest has been around for eight years now. It is very distinguished and well-known within the United States. The number of contestants grow every year. This year we received a hundred completed poems from over eight million youth writers." Melissa started.

"Wow. That's higher than we had thought." Turner said impressed even more that Shawn had won out of all of them.

"Yes it is very high and most of the writers have been writing for a few years within the contest looking to win. Some are even published themselves. Four million of them were older than Shawn, like the other two winners this year. Never in history of the contest has anyone ever been reached out to by world famous publishers. This is a first for the contest. Something we are very proud to be a part of." Melissa said.

"Is it a problem that Shawn was reached out to by publishers?" Turner asked not really sure where this was going.

"Not at all. In fact it's the exact opposite of a problem. My phone has been ringing non-stop all week once word got out that the publishers were all chasing after one author. Nothing stays secret for very long in this city I am afraid. I have five journalists from newspapers here in New York looking to interview Shawn, six journalists from different magazines as well as four other radio stations. They all would like one on one interviews with him." Melissa said with a smile.

"Wait I'm sorry what?" Shawn asked shocked.

"You are very much the definition of hot news right now. Everyone is looking to speak to you and get you out there. You are like a hidden jewel that was found. Everyone wants to know how you were kept so secret for so long." Melissa said.

"It's just poems though." Shawn said clearly in shock.

"Yes, but poems are much more than just words on a page. Before I created this contest I was a writer myself. In my eight years of doing this contest plus in the forty years of life I have never come across someone with as much talent and beauty for poetry as you Shawn. Your poems were deep and meaningful. It brought us all to tears. We knew after that first poem that we read that you were our winner. You write much older than you're age. You are the reason why I started this contest. To show the world that creativity is more than a paint brush on a canvas. That youth can be creative and can still leave this world breathless. I would like to help you with this part in your life. It is up to you if you wish to do these interviews. It is up to you if you wish to meet with the publishers and sign with one. If you do wish to do that then I am more than happy to help you decide which one is best and which one has your best interests at heart. I am more than happy to schedule times for interviews and what you would need for them. The choice is yours, but I am hoping you will not turn this down. This truly is a once in a lifetime opportunity for you and for someone with your level of talent it would be doing the world a disservice to not show your talent." Melissa said.

"We've already met with the publishers and were thinking about going with Big House Publishing. They want to focus on Shawn's poetry, but also his photos. He's a photographer as well." Turner said knowing that Shawn needed a minute.

"They are a perfect choice. They have done work with youth before and they are very good with them. Some publishers are looking to take advantage of someone, especially someone younger. I have never had a problem with them or heard anything bad about them. And Shawn if your photos are anything like your poems they must be something to see." Melissa said with a warm smile.

"Thank-you." That was all Shawn could manage to get out right now.

"I think Shawn needs some time to process all of this. It's a lot for him to take in, especially because he didn't think he would ever win. Say we do agree to the interviews how would that work?" Turner asked looking to get all of the information first before he talked to Shawn about it.

"I would set them up. The journalist can come to you so if you had plans outside of the time for the contest you can still continue to do so. They can come to you it's no problem. The radio stations you would need to go to obviously. I can schedule those appointments so they are all in one day. Ideally we would pay for you to stay at the hotel Sunday and then Monday you would finish the interviews. A photoshoot would happen at some point this weekend as there are so many magazines and newspapers that wish to speak to Shawn. It would be easier to have professional photos taken so they can be issued out to the press. We would cover all expenses of course. The magazines would be coming out half way through next month. Some of the questions may be more in depth than others because they have the space to have a longer article. If there is a question that Shawn isn't comfortable with answering he can simply say just that and the journalist will drop the question. Think it over and discuss it and let me know what you decide. I will say that this is a wonderful chance for Shawn and you really shouldn't let it pass you by." Melissa said with a warm smile.

"Thank-you. We will talk about it and let you know as soon as possible." Turner said with a smile of thanks.

"Wonderful. Enjoy your evening and meeting with the other contest winners. If I do not hear from you tonight I will see you both tomorrow at ten for the prep."

"Thank-you." Turner said.

Melissa got up and headed back across the room. Turner turned slightly so he could look at Shawn who was beside him.

"Shawn I need you to try and not think about it right now. Let's just put it on the back burner until later when we are alone and can talk about it. For now let's enjoy the night and meet some people." Turner said with a comforting smile.

"Ok." Shawn managed to get out.

They spent the next hour and a half meeting the different people associated with the contest and the other contest winners. At eight-righty they said goodbye to Jack before they headed back up to their hotel room. They headed into the room and Turner closed and locked the door. They removed their jackets and Shawn grabbed his sweats to change into. Once they were both changed Shawn sat down on his bed with his back against the wall and brought his knees up to his chest. Turner sat down on his bed on the edge so he could face Shawn.

"Talk to me Shawn." Turner said gently.

For the past ninety minutes Shawn's mind hadn't been focused on who he was meeting. It was a hundred miles away and Turner couldn't blame him. He knew this was a lot for Shawn to take in, especially because of the level of abuse he had endured for the past thirteen years. The mental abuse was very deep and Turner knew it would take years before Shawn was recovered from it.

"You know what I have been thinking ever since Melissa told us that stuff?" Shawn started.

"I can't even imagine what has been going through your mind Shawn." Turner said gently back.

"Mostly that I don't deserve it." Shawn admitted softly.

"That's not true Shawn." Turner said with strength in his voice.

"I know. I know. If I know that why does my mind think differently? How do I make his voice stop?" Shawn asked completely lost and hurt.

"By not letting him have any power over you. It'll take time, but Shawn you can't listen to that voice. You can't believe what it's telling you. I know it's confusing and it's hard for you to understand. I'm sure sometimes you feel crazy, but you're not. What happens with the book and the contest is up to you. No one is making you do anything you don't feel comfortable with doing. This has to be your decision. It's your life and only you can choose how you want to live it. But don't let that man's voice and that man's actions dictate how you live your life and what opportunities you take."

"How will I know what ones are the right ones to make?" Shawn asked confused.

"It's not always easy. When I was around your age my parents wanted me to follow in their footsteps and work in the family business. I didn't want to be in the importing and exporting business though, I wanted to be a teacher. My parents didn't support the idea or even understand it. They thought being a teacher was beneath our name. They weren't going to pay for my schooling unless it was related to the family business. I had to make a choice. I could have picked the easy route and followed their wishes, but instead I picked to follow my dreams. I left at eighteen after I graduated and I didn't look back. Was it hard? Ya it was brutal at times. I had to take out student loans and I worked two jobs plus school full-time. It was hard and scary. I was scared most of the time and second guessed myself. But I stuck with it, because it was my dream. All of the hard work and the fear, it was all worth it because I was finally living my dream. Eventually my parents saw that and they supported the idea. It took them some time, but they came around. The point in all of this Shawn, is being an artist whether that is through poetry, photography, painting, or any of the other artistic talents you have; is that your dream? Is that what you want to be when you graduate and move on to College, an artist?"

"Ya. That's my dream. One I gave up on a long time ago. I never thought it would be possible. I always thought I would be that trailer park kid forever. Now all of this is happening and it feels like I'm dreaming and once I wake up it'll all be gone. I stopped believing in dreams and any hope of a future. It all just feels too good to be true right now."

"Shawn after everything you have been through in your life I would imagine that all of this is overwhelming for you. It seems unreal to you, but Shawn you earned this from your writing. You heard what Melissa said, you won this contest with a single poem. This isn't being handed to you, you've earned it. Your talent is true and real. You deserve this. You have a dream and you'll be able to live it and achieve that dream Shawn. Don't let anyone stand in your way."

"I want to be an artist. I don't know if it's with my poetry or photography. I haven't decided yet. I don't really want to have to decide between them I'd like to do both. Part of me really wants to do it and another part of me is terrified to do it. What if he hears me on the radio? What if he reads the articles in the magazines? The second one not that likely, but the radio he might hear it if he's around one of his buddies and they have it on. Plus a photoshoot with my black eye not really a good idea." Shawn said with worry.

"First, the black eye they will cover up so no one will see it. Secondly, if this is something you really want to do then you should do it Shawn. Worry about Chet later and I doubt he would see the articles or hear the radio. Being slightly scared is natural this is all new to you and you never expected this to be happening ever. But sometimes being scared is a good thing. It's okay to be scared of new experiences that are good, because that fear will turn into excitement and joy once you get into it. It's up to you, but in my opinion Shawn, how could you turn this down?" Turner said with a smile.

"It does seem crazy to turn down. But what about school on Monday?"

"I'll call George and let him know what has come up. He won't mind. Do you work Monday?"

"No I work Tuesday. I kept Monday off to work on some homework. I brought my homework with me though so I can still work on it when I have the chance." Shawn said.

"The choice is yours Shawn if you want to do this. I will support your decision completely."

Shawn was quiet for a few minutes as he went over it in his mind. He wanted to do it but at the same time he couldn't believe he would be getting the chance to do it. His mind kept telling him he didn't deserve this opportunity, but he had to fight it back. The people that truly did care about him had told him he was talented and that he deserved this chance and reward. As scared as Shawn was he knew he would regret and hate himself for turning this down. Same as the publishers he couldn't let this amazing opportunity pass him by he would regret it forever.

"Ok let's do it."

"Are you sure Shawn?" Turner asked calmly.

"Ya I'm sure. I would regret it if I didn't."

"What about the publisher?"

"I'm gonna do it. When we get back I'll put together my photos and the poems I like and I'll send them off. The articles will be good for the book promotion at least." Shawn said with a lopsided smile.

"They will be. We can call Michael in the morning and let him know. I'm sure we'll have to stop by to sign some paperwork before we leave. I'm happy for you Shawn and I'm very proud of you. This is an amazing opportunity for you. Something you deserve greatly."

"I guess I better do some of my homework then. I have a feeling tomorrow is going to be very busy."

"It will be, which is why you need your sleep. So you can do a little bit of homework for now, but come ten you will be putting it away. I'll go and call Melissa and let her know and leave a message for Michael before I call George." Turner said as he went over to the desk to use the phone.

Shawn gave a nod and went to his backpack and grabbed his Social Studies homework to work on for now. Tomorrow was going to be a busy day, but Shawn wanted to get some of his work done so he wouldn't have to worry about it too much.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was ten o'clock when they arrived at the contest headquarters. Here they would be doing the interview prep for both the article and the radio station today. Melissa was also going to let them know what the plan was for the rest of the weekend as Shawn would have more interviews to do than the others today. They headed into the designated meeting room to see that the two other winners were there as well, Nathan and Chris. They had met them briefly last night during the meet and greet. Their parents were both in the room as well. Shawn was the only one with just one parent there. Shawn could tell he had lived a different life compared to the other two and he was hoping that it wouldn't be a problem. Shawn didn't know how the interviews were going to work or not, but he was hoping there wouldn't be any hard feelings between him and the two guys that didn't win. Turner and Shawn headed over to the table and went to sit down.

"Good morning." Turner said to the others with a smile.

"Good morning." Chris' mother said with a smile as well.

"Has Melissa been in yet?" Turner asked.

"She's been getting calls all day. She kept having to run out for them." Nathan's father explained.

"She's a very busy woman it would seem." Nathan's mother added.

"So your son came in first. Congratulations." Chris' mother said to Turner.

"Thanks." Shawn said.

"How many years have you been applying to the contest? Chris has been doing it for four years now. He's won other contests, but this was the big one he had been trying to win. He would write poems all year for this contest." Chris' mother said.

"Nathan was the same way. Always writing, taking classes to help improve his writing. This was his last year to enter the contest. We are glad he was able to place this year. Your son must have been writing all the time as well. How many other contests has he been in?" Nathan's mother asked.

"This is actually Shawn's first contest he's been in." Turner said proudly.

"Oh really." Chris' mother said surprised.

"Beginners luck strikes I guess." Nathan's father said clearly not impressed that Shawn had won compared to his son.

"Shawn is very talented. Melissa told us last night that after reading Shawn's first poem she knew he was her winner." Turner said proudly back.

"Have you been writing a long time for this contest Shawn?" Chris' mother asked with a tight smile.

"A couple of months. I had half of the poems already written from ones I've written over the years." Shawn answered slightly awkwardly as it didn't seem like the parents were too happy that Shawn had won over their kid.

Melissa chose that moment to walk into the room. She was smiling and it got bigger when she saw that Shawn and Turner had arrived.

"Good morning, how are you both?" Melissa asked them.

"We're doing good. Yourself?" Turner asked with a smile back.

"Busy, but busy is a good thing. So before we go over the interview prep I just want to run down the schedule for everyone. This prep should only take an hour then you will have until one to go over the questions and your responses before the interview starts. Right after this though all three of you will go over into the studio and take a photo with all three of you in it. This will be used for the article in the magazine. Then the photoshoot with start for Shawn and that will go until noon, twelve fifteen depending on how it goes. I wanted to make sure you would have enough time to go over your responses before the interview." Melissa started.

"Why is it just Shawn in the photoshoot?" Nathan's father asked clearly not happy that his son was being left out.

"The photoshoot is for something outside of the contest. Shawn has received more press requests because of the publishing deal." Melissa answered.

"Wait we're being published?" Chris asked shocked.

"No only Shawn is. Nine publishers reached out to Shawn once they caught sight of his poems. That has gotten out to the press and they are looking to speak with him. Shawn is going to have a very busy weekend." Melissa said with a smile as she looked at Shawn for the last part.

"Congratulations." Chris' mother said trying to sound polite and not jealous for her son.

"Thank-you." Turner said.

"So at one the interview will begin in one of the offices we have here. It's very informal and the journalist is one that we use every year, Mike Rose. He's very good with the kids. That will take no more than forty minutes. Afterward there is lunch that will be in the dining room for everyone. Then you have a break until four where you will then go to the radio station, Kiss 103, you will be asked similar questions the station will not be live. They will play it at six, they do this so if anyone is nervous or you say the wrong thing they can correct it for you and make you sound great. That will take about thirty minutes and then you are free until dinner at six back at the hotel. We are having a goodbye celebration that we encourage you to dress up for. Everyone will be there to celebrate with you. Then tomorrow you are free to do as you wish." Melissa explained.

"Sounds great." Nathan's mother said.

"Now Shawn, you will have a slightly different schedule. Tomorrow will be filed with interviews and radio interviews, some of which will be live. Like I said though you are free to explore the city and the journalist will come to you. Just let me know where you think you might be so I can inform them. I have all of the times they are looking to speak with Shawn, most will be tomorrow, but a few are on Monday morning and they can be done back at the hotel if you want to." Melissa said.

"Ok I think tomorrow we're doing some sightseeing. We know roughly where we want to go so I'll work on it with you and we can get a schedule organized." Turner said.

"Perfect. I can get one in today if you want after the radio station and before dinner." Melissa offered.

"Sure, but not after dinner if that's ok." Shawn said.

"Shawn is a photographer and he really wants to get some night pictures of the city." Turner added.

"Not a problem. It's gorgeous at night especially Central Park and the Brooklyn Bridge. Do you need anyone to show you around?"

"No I think we can find our way. Shawn's half-brother might be with us and he grew up here." Turner said.

"Perfect your own tour guide. I'll have an interview set up for five at the hotel that way you can get back and relax before the dinner at six. Would it be okay if he came to your room?"

"Ya that's fine." Turner said.

"I will set that up. I made the interview questions and Shawn they will mostly be the same for everyone so it's easier on you. And now this goes for everyone, the best thing you can do in an interview is just be honest and yourself. All too often people overthink a question or try and sound like they think people should sound like. Just be yourself it will come across a lot better trust me on that. Now here is your interview questions." Melissa said as she grabbed them out of her folder and passed them around to everyone. "Parents don't have to worry you won't be in the interviews. Mr. Turner though at some point throughout Shawn's set of interviews the journalist may ask you some questions as they are different articles that focus on Shawn. Just so you are prepared for it."

"That's fine with me." Turner said.

"Alright let's go through each question together you don't have to have a solid answer just give me an idea of where you are going with the answer. This way I can tell you if you are on the right track or if you need to watch some wording. I don't want anyone to get misunderstood. Let's start at the top and we will work our way down the eight questions." Melissa said with a warm smile.

They spent the next forty minutes going over the interview questions before they all had to head out to the studio room for the photoshoot.

"You three need to see Jessica real quick while the photographer is getting set up. She will make sure your skin isn't shinny and Shawn, she can cover up that eye as well." Melissa said with a warm smile.

"Thanks." Shawn said slightly embarrassed.

They all got up and followed Melissa around to where the makeup artist was waiting. Shawn read over the questions once again trying to figure out how to answer them in the best way. He figured he would just be himself and if people didn't like him then at least they didn't like him for who he is and not who he thought he had to be. Shawn knew he had a different life compared to the other two winners. He couldn't change that and if he was honest he didn't know if he wanted to change it. He might not have met Cory and his family, he might not have met Jon. He's grateful and happy to have them in his life and as his family. Once everyone was ready they all went over to where the photography studio area was. The three boys went over and stood behind the white backdrop with Shawn being in the middle as he was the third tallest.

"Alright guys just relax and act natural. I'm going to take a few shots and then we'll be good to go." The photographer said.

The three guys acted like they liked each other and gave a smile to the camera. Shawn was a little nervous as he was normally the one behind the camera and not in front of it. They took a few shots before the photographer spoke again.

"Ok we're good. Which one is Shawn?" He asked.

Shawn raised his hand slightly and the photographer spoke again.

"Melissa wants you to get some shots on your own for the reporters. I know you need to practice your answers so we'll make it as quick as we can. You other two can head back over and practice."

The other two boys walked away and now that Shawn was the only one there he was even more nervous. Shawn knew that this was going to be a long day, but he was hoping it would get better as each interview went on. He wanted to do this he just had to try and push through the nerves and slight fear to reach the other side.

"Alright Shawn just look relaxed and calm. And give me a natural smile at the camera." The photographer said.

Shawn tried to do his best, but the shots were coming out awkward and too posed. Turner could see that Shawn was nervous and it wasn't getting better with each shot. He had to get him to calm his nerves down somehow otherwise they wouldn't have time to practice for the interview. Turner opened Shawn's camera bag and took out the camera as he spoke to the photographer.

"I got an idea to relax him a little do you mind?"

"Not at all."

Turner went over to Shawn and handed him his camera as he spoke.

"Just relax and take some pictures."

Shawn took the camera from Turner and put the strap around his neck. He instantly looked calmer.

"Look at that Dad always knows." The photographer said with a smile.

Shawn smiled before he spoke. "Ya he's pretty awesome."

Turner went back over to his spot as the photographer spoke.

"You a photographer Shawn?"

"I'm in a class at school."

"Then shoot away let's see what interesting shots we can make." The photographer said with a warm smile.

They spent the next twenty minutes finishing up the photoshoot. Shawn took pictures around the room and the photographer was able to sneak in thirty photos of Shawn looking relaxed with the camera in his hand. They would turn out to be great pictures and look artistic as well. Something that would match Shawn's personality.

"We're good here. Nice work Shawn." The photographer said with a smile.

"Thanks." Shawn said slightly awkwardly as he still wasn't used to outside compliments.

Shawn headed over to Turner and Turner gave him a sideways hug as he spoke.

"Good job. I'm proud of you. You pushed through and found a comfort zone."

"Ya now the interviews start." Shawn said with a nervous tone.

"We have a little bit of time still to go over the questions. The best thing you can do is be you and be proud of who you are. Don't forget you won this thing. You have a book deal with one of the top Publishers in the state. That's huge Shawn. All because of your talent. You don't have anything to prove to anyone. Just be you."

Shawn gave a nod and they headed off to sit down in a quiet area so they could go over the interview questions. Shawn didn't want to get too in depth with his answers this time around, maybe at another interview, but for now he wanted simple. When it was ten to one they all headed off to the office where they would meet Mike Rose the journalist. Shawn was nervous, but it helped knowing that there were two other guys there having to go through this as well. Mike Rose was already there dressed in dark blue jeans and a black dress shirt without a tie. He gave a warm smile to everyone as they walked into the room.

"Mike so good to have you back." Melissa said with a warm smile as she gave Mike a hug.

"It's always a pleasure to be the first to interview new and fresh writers." Mike said back as he hugged Melissa.

"This is Chris he is our second place winner. This is Nathan he is our third place winner. And this is Shawn Turner." Melissa said with a smile.

"Shawn Turner, I have heard a lot of amazing things about you. I am very interested in getting to know you and your writing. I have read the poems that you submitted and they were amazing Shawn. And very different from previous contest winners. Wouldn't you agree Mel?" Mike asked.

"His poems are very different in an amazing way. Most poets are able to write fluffy and happy emotions well. It's those darker emotions of pain and fear, darkness that are difficult to write and often turn out to be a poor quality poem."

"But Shawn your poems were real. You could feel the pain within it. That's true emotions that make the reader feel your pain. It instantly makes you stand out among the others. I'm very interested in learning more about your poems and reading more of them." Mike said.

"Shawn has been offered a book deal with Big House Publishing. Very soon you'll be able to purchase his poetry and even photography." Melissa said.

"Really? Congratulations. You also take photos?"

"I do ya." Shawn said slightly awkward with the praise.

"I would love to have the first exclusive with you Shawn. Is there any way we can make that happen?" Mike asked.

"Shawn has press and radio interviews all weekend. If you want after this interview there is some time before we need to be at the radio station for four. You could take a few minutes and have a one-on-one with Shawn. Would that be ok Shawn?" Melissa asked.

"Ya that's fine with me." Shawn said.

"Perfect. Alright let's get this started. Everyone take a seat please." Mike said.

Mike pulled out his tape recorder as he sat down and so did everyone else. They all sat down in the circle of couches with their parents.

"Basically I am going to ask you a series of questions and one at a time you can answer. I would like the order to be the same each time so it's easier for me to transfer into writing later. We'll start over here with Nathan than Chris and then Shawn. We'll start with something simple just to get your feet wet. When did you start writing?" Mike asked.

"I began to write when I was nine. It was a class assignment and I found that I really enjoyed writing poetry. I continued from there on my own and truly found a passion in it." Nathan answered.

"I didn't start to write until I was twelve and like Nathan it was through a class assignment for creative writing. I enjoyed the freedom of it and not having to worry about it being so structured and formal. It was freeing and something I wanted to pursue and continue with. My parents let me attend a summer creative writing camp that summer and it helped me develop my skills and grow my confidence." Chris answered.

"You know I don't, I don't know when I started writing. It's always been just something I've done to get my thoughts out. Get my feelings out. The earliest memory that I have of writing I was about five. I picked up a piece of paper and a pencil and just started writing words. It wasn't much just different words that rhymed. I wanted to see if I could find a hundred rhyming words just to escape. From there it went to putting those words into sentences and eventually they turned into poems." Shawn answered.

Mike made a mental note on the word escape that he would ask Shawn about later.

"When did you finally realise that you had a talent with your writing?" Mike asked.

"From that first assignment I knew I had talent. I was the only one in my class to receive a perfect grade on it. My parents encouraged me to keep writing and they gave me creative writing classes to help build my skills. I went through contests and won over seventy percent of them. After that first assignment I was determined to always be the best in writing and win." Nathan answered.

"For me it was after that summer of creative writing camp. I had won first place out of everyone with my poems and I was the youngest there. I went up against eighteen year olds at the time. I knew that this was something I wanted to do for the rest of my life and I had the ability to do it. It became real to me." Chris answered.

"I never thought about talent. To me my writing wasn't about talent or being the best. It didn't matter to me if I was good or not. I don't care to be the best or to even have people like my poetry. It was never about that. I don't think it should be. I think everyone should write because they want to, because it helps them. Whether they are good or they suck at it. It's supposed to be about them and helping them with whatever they need. Whether that's to get through a hard time or just because writing makes them happy. I don't think talent should have anything to do with it. Writing means so much more than that." Shawn answered honestly.

"How about you parents? When was it that you realised your son had something here?"

"We've always known that Nathan would contribute to society. We come from a very prestigious family. There was a great deal of expectations on Nathan that he lived up to and will continue to do so. When he expressed interest in creative writing we immediately were supportive of his interest and placed him in classes and summer camps. We are very hands on parents and made sure to push Nathan to do better and work harder. Giving up is not an option for this family. His hard work had paid off which is made clear from all of the awards he's been given and contests he has won. I think it is very clear how much talent he has." Nathan's mother said.

"Chris comes from a long line of writers in the family. It only made sense that he would have the talent with words as well. We had suspected it when he was younger and it was made very clear when he was twelve and his interest peaked with creative writing. We are always looking for ways to expose his writing to the world and show the world how creative and talented he is. The world needs his writing." Chris' father answered.

"I had no idea that Shawn could write creatively. It wasn't until last year that I was able to read any of his writing. As his English teacher I assigned a five poem assignment during the poetry chapter in our textbook. Shawn had been living with me for a few months at the time. And during those months I noticed that he was always writing in notebooks. A lot of writing journals that I knew were not school related. I assumed they were diaries and never asked him about it. It was obvious that writing was personal and private to Shawn and I had no place to poke my nose in it. To this day I have only ever read those five poems that Shawn submitted for that very reason. I would never pick up a diary and read it. I would never pick up one of his writing books and read it. I've had many students since I began teaching and at times I would read something they have submitted and thought this kid has talent. I didn't have that with Shawn's poems. When I read the very first one the only thought going through my head was, wow this kid has a gift. And that is exactly what it is, is a gift. Shawn is very gifted with anything creative whether that is words on a page, sketches, his photos or his musical abilities with playing the guitar and singing. He has a gift and one of my responsibilities as a parent, as his father, is to allow him to express that gift in any way he chooses. It's not my job to push and hound him on it. My job is to stand back and just watch him grow. Even if that is standing there while he takes multiple photos of the same flower for twenty minutes. It's his gift, not mine, but his. And he has every right to express it and grow it as he sees fit. Mine is to give him an environment so he can do that. I'm very proud of him. It doesn't matter if he's famous or not to me. As long as he is happy in the end. I'll always be proud of him." Turner said with a warm smile to Shawn.

Shawn smiled back and he immediately felt a strong burst of love from Turner. It didn't matter that they didn't share DNA Turner loved him like a son and it wasn't because he had to. It was because he wanted to and that meant so much more to Shawn than anything else.

"Beautifully said. Outside of writing do you have any other interests?" Mike asked.

"I am the captain of the basketball team in my high school. I have a scholarship to Duke University because of it to pursue a degree in writing." Nathan answered.

"I'm the President of the Science Club at my school and the Editor of the school newspaper. On weekends I also play Polo and golf to prepare me for my future company relations." Chris answered.

"I do a lot of photography and drawing sketches. I play guitar and write songs when I get the time to when I'm not working. I'd like to learn how to play the piano eventually."

"Where would you like to see yourself in ten years?"

"I know in ten years I will be a respected published author both creatively and professionally in the English education system. I would like to modify the way the English language is taught by teachers to better and adequately prepare students for University, especially in public high schools where the education is sincerely lacking in substance." Nathan answered.

"You are doing other interviews today right?" Mike asked Melissa.

"Yes a radio interview at four." Melissa answered.

"Ok off the record, don't ever say that again to anyone that can put that out there in the media. Helpful advice. You just came across as an entitled pompous ass right there. You may have meant well by it, but it didn't come anywhere near that." Mike said.

"I only said what was true. The English education is going downhill. Grades in public schools are horrible because the education is not challenging enough to weed out those that simply don't care and the ones that do are paying for that price." Nathan argued.

"Ok let's try this. Mr. Turner, English teacher, your thoughts?" Mike said.

"I think some teachers are more interested in getting through the materials and reaching the end of the day. Some teachers are checked out. However, there is a great deal of us that work with our students no matter their grade standing so they are prepared for whatever they have planned after high school. It's not about teaching them how to memories dates or to be able to properly speak old Shakespearian English. It's about what they learn and how that can apply to their life. That's what makes them engaged and willing to be there and pay attention. Will they be able to tell you the top one hundred authors of all times and their biography on them in my class? No, because I don't waste my time teaching them that. I only get four years with my students and I want to make sure that they are prepared for the real world when they leave my classroom. Maybe they will leave with A's, maybe they will leave with D's, but they will leave with confidence that they are prepared for life's true problems. They'll leave knowing that they had a teacher that taught them more about themselves through books then just giving out assignments and tests. Books are meant to teach us something whether it's a textbook or a novel written two hundred years ago. They all teach us something and that's what I want them to learn." Turner said passionately.

"He's an amazing teacher and I'm not just saying that because he's my dad. He's my English and Social Studies teacher. I've had a lot of teachers over the years, but I only remember two of them, my Dad and Mr. Feeny, because they didn't just go through a lesion plan, they taught us. They are the teachers that care about their students. They want them to succeed. They see us as their own children and it's not just during school hours. I could go to Mr. Feeny's house in the middle of the night with a problem and he wouldn't close the door on me. That's what being a teacher should be. That's what makes us want to pay attention in class. I remember the first time I saw my Dad he wanted us to read Odysseus and none of us had any interest in it. My best friend made a joke about us reading X-Men instead. Only we were all shocked when my Dad said he knew X-Men and he assigned us to read an X-Men comic and the book to prove that they were similar and he was right. He taught us all that books can also be like the comics we all loved to read just without the pictures. He wants us to love reading, whether that is a comic book or an eight hundred page novel. He just wants us to love it and to relate and learn from it. To me that is what being a true teacher is all about." Shawn said.

"And that is exactly why you shouldn't make a comment about an area that you are not fully qualified or educated to say. Especially with teaching, there are millions of teachers and even more students and every single student has a favorite teacher, at least one, some have multiple. You don't want to cause a stir before you even get out of the gate. It's just a piece of friendly advice." Mike said.

Nathan gave a nod and Mike spoke again.

"Chris, where do you see yourself in ten years?"

"I'd like to be a Journalist working for a major paper. I'd like to focus on hot topics like any wars going on in the world. I will be doing freelance work as well to get my creative name out there. I see myself being published multiple times as a graphic novelist. I see huge success in my future."

Mike gave a nod before he turned to look at Shawn.

"I don't really think about it. So much of my life has been just one day at a time. I don't think about the future or anything passed what day I'm currently on. In ten years I'll know what I am then. Too much can happen between now and then that could change everything. I'm not looking to set myself up for disappointment. I'll save the excitement and surprise for when I get there."

"Where does the inspiration for your writing come from?" Mike asked.

"Different emotions in the world. I try and write something for each depending on how I feel at the time. Most of my poems are lighter and more peaceful because that is the life I have. The more painful emotions is from the pain I see in other's eyes on the streets or in the news." Nathan answered.

"I like to put myself in the mind of someone else who may be having a harder time in life to reach the painful and darker emotions. Sometimes it is successful and sometimes not depending on the day. I like to get my inspiration from things around me such as the power of a storm or the beauty of a flower. Life is full of inspirations you just need to look around for it." Chris answered.

"Life." Shawn simply said.

"Care to elaborate on that Shawn?" Mike asked.

"No thanks." Shawn said clearly not comfortable with talking about it.

"Fair enough. Last question for everyone, how would you feel if you could never write again?" Mike asked easily moving on for Shawn.

"Disappointed, but I would just find something else to put my passion behind. It definitely wouldn't be the end of the world for me. I would adapt and move forward." Nathan said.

"I would be upset and angry, but at the end of the day I am still alive and I have a life to live. I would just need to change my perspective on my future and create a new path to take." Chris answered.

Shawn was quiet for a minute clearly thinking how to answer this question. He didn't know how much of his life he wanted out there in the world. He didn't exactly have the best life. He certainly didn't have two loving and supportive parents like Chris and Nathan do. His writing comes from a different place and he wasn't expecting there to be so much of a difference between him and them. After a minute Shawn let out a sigh before he spoke.

"Trapped."

"Thank-you for coming down here today and letting me talk to you about your writing and yourselves. Shawn, are you still okay to stay for a few more minutes so we can talk one-on-one? Your dad is obviously welcome to stay." Mike said.

"Ya." Shawn agreed.

"There will be lunch served shortly. You all can wait back in the room you were in this morning and lunch will be brought in to you. Afterwards we will do some more prep before we have to head to the radio station for the final interview. Shawn, a reporter will be at the hotel tonight just after five to speak with you before the dinner at six. The reporter is Jessica Williams she is with the Star." Melissa said.

"Sounds great." Turner said with a smile.

Everyone besides Shawn, Turner and Mike headed out of the room and back to the conference room they were in this morning. Melissa went to take care of a few more things for Shawn's interview weekend to give Shawn and Mike some privacy.

"Ok Shawn I just want to elaborate a little more on your writing and get a little more in depth with you. I know this might be uncomfortable for you and if I or anyone for that matter asks you a question you are not comfortable with just say so. No one has the right to pressure or push you on a topic that you don't feel comfortable with talking just yet. I have read your poems, a great deal of them are full of pain, of darker emotions. That's very untypical for someone your age. You mentioned that your writing is an escape for you and without it you would feel trapped. Why that emotion? Why the need for an escape at such a young age?" Mike asked gently.

"My life is my own, I'm not about to put anything out in the press about it. I will say that yes my writing comes from a painful place. My life has not been a walk in the park, but I'm not the only one to have a difficult life. Millions of children younger and older than me go through hard times. We all need an escape, something we can do to distance ourselves from what is going on in our life; whether that is at home or at school. That escape allows us to be able to breathe again, even if it's just for a few minutes. Those few minutes give us the ability to keep going. I don't write for anyone but for myself. I never expected to win this contest. I never expected for my poetry to be getting published by a major publisher. It terrifies me, because now people will read my poetry and draw their own conclusions. But at the same time maybe another kid who is going through a hard time will read it and feel like they aren't alone. That feeling like someone, somewhere, in this world is there for you even if it's just through words on a page makes all the difference. The first book I ever read was an old and torn up poetry book I found on the side of the road. Reading some of the poems made me feel like someone understood how I felt. Someone out there made me feel like I wasn't alone and now I might be able to be that person to someone else."

"That is a beautiful answer Shawn and it's real. Being real and who you truly are is what will make you stand out among the crowd. It will make people remember you and want to see more of you. There is one thing I know for sure and that is between the three of you, you are the only one that will make it in this world. Chris and Nathan hadn't had that reality check yet and when they do I don't know if they will survive it. This is why you won, because your poetry was honest and real. You've been through a lot in your life, it's obvious in your poetry. I could make assumptions, but that wouldn't be fair. Mr. Turner, you're not his biological father that was made very clear by how you spoke about Shawn from just two years ago."

"That's correct, but that doesn't make Shawn any less my son." Turner said.

"I couldn't agree more. My stepfather is the man that I call dad. He came into my life when I was ten and he took the place of my father when my biological father wanted nothing to do with me. DNA doesn't mean a single thing in this world if you ask me. I have a feeling though that with you in Shawn's life he's going to have the courage to reach for the stars and start dreaming of a future. And speaking of a future, Shawn you must have some goal or dream for the future. Even if it's only three years from now. There must be something you are working towards." Mike said.

"I'm working towards an art scholarship for college in two years." Shawn answered.

"Ok see that is something to talk about. Do you know what college you'd like to go to?" Mike asked trying to see what he could get out of Shawn.

"Not really. I haven't thought that much about it. I don't even know if I could get an art scholarship."

"You're talented I can't imagine anyone turning you down. What would you like to study in college?"

"I'm thinking just a general degree in Art. I don't just write poetry I do a lot of photography and sketches. I don't really want to limit myself to just one. It's all a part of who I am and I don't want to have to cut one creative outlet out of my life."

"And you shouldn't have to. Being an artist isn't about fitting into one category or another. It's about expressing who you are the best way you know how. You should embrace all of your creativity any way you wish. Which school do you go to?"

"John Adams High in Philly."

"What do you do when you are not in school or being creative?"

"I work as a mechanic in my uncle's garage."

"So you work on cars?" Mike asked slightly surprised.

"I do ya."

"Do you enjoy it?"

"Ya I don't mind it. I like working with my hands and I'm learning a lot about cars which is handy to have."

"You get to spend some time with your uncle that must be nice."

"It can be. I don't see him too much and when we are at work together we're both working on a different car."

"What about any other family?"

"Just the unusual type."

"I don't think there is such a thing as a usual family." Mike said with a calm smile.

"Shawn spends a lot of time with his best friend Cory and his family." Turner said.

"When did you and Cory first meet? In school?" Mike asked trying to get Shawn to open up more.

"We went to school together, we have since the first grade. We didn't become friends though until we were six. We were on a school field trip to the zoo and Cory fell into the lama pit. I jumped in to get him out and we have been best friends ever since." Shawn answered.

"Do you guys get to hang out often?"

"When we can. We used to be able to hang out a lot more, but recently with me working we don't get to see each other as often outside of school."

"What do you do when you guys do hang out?"

"We play video games or basketball. We go to Chubby's, it's a burger joint. I'll go over to his place and do homework together and have dinner there. His parents are awesome."

"So you play basketball, do you play any other sports?"

"Not really. Sometimes I do when Cory and his family have their family picnics where they'll play soccer or baseball. I'll play with them sometimes. Sports aren't really my thing."

"Do you have any other interest outside of the creative side?"

"Not really. I tend to always be doing something creative whether that is writing, taking photos or drawing them. I'm usually doing something creative when I'm not working or doing homework. I've been doing it a lot more than I ever used to."

"Why is that?"

"Before it was always a secret. Something I did as an escape or in the dark of the night. It was my secret. Then I lived with my Dad and I started to see that it didn't have to be a secret. That I didn't have to hide it and I realised that I didn't want to anymore. There's a free feeling behind it. I don't have to try and hide my note book or sketch book when the front door opens. I don't have to hide my guitar or only play it when I'm alone. Behind that door all he wants me to be is just me. I don't have to worry about anything else, but being me."

"If you could give someone a piece of advice that is currently going through a similar situation you have been through, what would it be?"

"I've put a lot of faith and belief in family. It was the most important thing to me ever since I could remember. I always believed that your family is the family you're born with. Then one day Mr. Fenny told me that family isn't always blood. And that is the best advice I could give someone. To find your true family, even if there is no blood involved."

"If you could travel to anywhere in the world, where would you go?"

"Paris easily."

"Why Paris?"

"It's an Artist heaven. There's art all over the city. Not to mention how beautiful the Eiffel Tower would be at night. The pictures would be amazing."

"I have a very good feeling that you will get to Paris one day soon Shawn. How do you feel about the publishing deal?"

"Numb I guess would be the best word to describe it. It all seems so unreal right now. I guess I'll see how I feel when it is over."

"I think feeling numb is perfectly understandable. It's a lot to take in all at once. Will you be doing the contest again next year?"

"I don't think so. Don't get me wrong this has been amazing, but I've already won. Someone else deserves to have the chance to win and experience what this feels like."

"Good for you Shawn. I think that covers everything. You did really well if you keep being yourself during the other interviews you are going to be fine." Mike said with a warm smile.

"Thank-you." Shawn said.

"I hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend here in New York. And I will be keeping an eye out for your book. A piece of friendly advice, embrace this Shawn. You have a God given gift don't let anyone try and tell you otherwise or hold you back."

"Thanks." Shawn said slightly embarrassed.

"Thank-you for your time Mr. Turner you have an amazing kid."

"Yes I do. Thank-you for being gentle with him." Turner said.

"It's no problem. You both should go and grab something to eat. It's going to be a busy afternoon for you."

"Thank-you for your time." Turner said with a smile.

The three of them got up and headed out of the room. Turner put an arm around Shawn's shoulders and gave him a sideways hug as he spoke.

"I am very proud of you."

"Thanks, but why?"

"Because you didn't hold back on your answers. You could have made up some bs to blend in with the other two, but you didn't. You stayed true to yourself even at the risk of being different. I'm proud of you for that, because my son is you and not some carbon copy of Chris or Nathan."

"I don't want to be them. I never want to be them."

"I know and thankfully you never will be. Come on let's grab some lunch before we have to head out for the radio interview."

"Think it'll get easier?"

"Yes I do, but I also think you handled yourself really well Shawn. Each interview will make you feel more confident and more at ease."

"I hope so."

"It will. Don't worry about it."

Turner and Shawn headed back to the room to grab something to eat. Shawn was feeling better knowing that he had made it through a photoshoot and an interview without coming across as an idiot. He felt good about the interview and he was feeling more confident that he could make it through this weekend. He hadn't even thought about Chet all day or heard that annoying voice in his head. Right now in this moment Shawn felt just like a normal kid and it was a feeling he didn't want to end.


	5. Follow Me- Update

Hello there!

I have begun a collection of new books for all ages from children's picture books to adult series that are being published online. You can connect with me and find out more information through my social media pages. I am working on finishing my novel called Satanic Inferno. It will be published through Kobo on March 1st, 2017. Check out my Facebook page for more information and a 10% discount code for the first few days of the release.

You have all followed me on Fanfiction and I am hoping you will continue to follow me now that I have transitioned into writing and publishing my own novels. But fear not I am still going to be working on Fanfiction and finishing all of my stories. I'm not going anywhere in that sense. All support would be greatly appreciated.

Thank-you so much to all of my loyal followers. Without you none of this would have been possible! If you have any questions or would like a sneak peek of my novel please Message me and I will send it your way.

Facebook: DianneRose2016


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